Dead Men's Game
by Madartiste
Summary: Post AJBAC. Max's friends believe she is dead and revenge is foremost on thier minds. Things get complicated as the wheels of other plans begin to turn. With only your enemy's enemy to watch your back, who do you trust? *Finished*
1. Down

A/N: Okay, this is my first fanfic, but I hope someone will like it. It's set right after the season finale. I'd be thrilled if people would read and review it. Constructive criticism is most appreciated! 

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters from Dark Angel. I'm not profiting from this in anyway, so don't sue me! I'm just a poor college student...

  


  


  


"Dead Men's Game" 

  


  


Chapter 1: DOWN

Manticore Base

9:45 PM

  


God... what a day. What a mess... Dr. Nathan Wedler silently stripped the bloody, latex gloves off his hands and dropped them into the biohazard container. His surgical garb was also stained crimson. It didn't bother him, of course. It came with the territory.

"You do good work, Wedler," Renfro stood looking at the young girl on the operating table, her hands laced behind her back. The room was mostly empty now, the nurses having cleared most of the equipment. 

"We almost lost her," he said tightly. Wedler disliked the new director. She was pushy, and he was sure she had things going on behind the scenes. People like her never dealt fairly.

"But we didn't..." she smiled, "It doesn't make up for the lose of the DNA lab, but one X5 is better than none."

Wedler didn't respond.

"How long till she recovers?"

"I don't know," he replied, "Her injuries are very severe... but there's also the enhanced healing factor... It's hard to say."

"Best guess," she demanded.

"I... uh... well... till she's fully recovered... maybe as long as two months... could be three weeks... " he gestured vaguely. Wedler was too tired to deal with this now.

Renfro turned and walked towards the door, pausing just as she passed him, "She's very important now. I'm trusting you to see that recovers quickly."

"Yes, ma'am..."

"Good," the woman strode out the door of the O.R. to the determined click-click of her heels against the linoleum floor. 

Wedler exhaled. Great... just what he needed. More responsibility... Heading over to the sink, he turned on the water and scrubbed his hands vigorously with a bush and soap. Damn... Things were much simpler when Lydecker was around. Or at least they had seemed simpler. 

The doctor dried his hands with a towel and sat down on a nearby stool with a heavy sigh. He'd been with Manticore for almost eleven years now. The prospect of working on genetic research had been so exciting back then. Just out of med school, he had been so enthusiastic, so full of dreams of the future and the important work he would do. If only he had known what he was getting himself into... He should have gotten out years ago while he still had the chance, but now it was too late. He knew too much, and they would never let him go. At least not alive, anyway.

And what was all this crap about Lydecker killing Sandoval? Deck was not the type to waste any kind of resource... unless said resource was trying to waste HIM...

Better not go there... He would just keep his mouth shut, his head down, and hope for things to blow over quickly. With the DNA lab slagged, they might very well loose their support too. Maybe he wouldn't have to quit... Maybe he'd get lucky and they'd downsize him...

Wedler slowly turned his thoughts to the young woman lying on the table. A respirator tube ran down her throat and heart and oxygen intake monitors had been hooked to her. Both registered steady signs of life now. She was a pretty girl, with big brown curls and full lips, but now she would bare a long grisly scar on her chest from his valiant efforts to save her life. She had been in bad shape when she was brought in from the woods. She would have died if the other X5 hadn't sacrificed himself.

//Poor kid...//

Wedler had been in the complex when the twelve children had escaped. It had been a bit of a shock; not that they wanted to escape, but that they actually managed it. At least some of them had... Wedler had been one of the doctors who'd treated the wounded. He had only a minor position, then, as a back-up emergency medical personnel. The only reason he had made it up the ladder was that his predecessors had a tendency to quit... or disappear.

//Damn...// He was getting another stress head-ache. Digging in his pockets, he found the bottle of pain-relievers. Tossing several pills into his mouth, the man took a swig of water from the water bottle he always had in the room. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back for a moment, willing the medicine to work quickly. After a few minutes he reminded himself that it wasn't a very productive thing to do.

With another heavy sigh, he glanced around the room. Wedler spied the folder that had been dropped off on one of the tables during the operation. It contained all the vital information that had been collected on the girl while she had still been at Manticore. Cautiously, he picked the folder up and opened it.

X5-452

It had always creeped him out that the children were referred to by number designations rather than actual names. He supposed it helped to make them feel less human and maybe less attached to those around them. Maybe it was easier to kill when you didn't have a name to give out. Or maybe it just made the guards feel better if they didn't have to remember the name of some poor kid they killed when they didn't 'perform' properly. Burr ...

Like he was any better... True, he felt bad about what was happening. Wedler had always sympathized with the children and wished he could do something to make their lives better. But he had never done anything about it, and that alone meant he was no less guilty than those around him. Worse than that, he had participated in plenty of the... experiments. He'd HAD to or they would have killed him as a liability... or so he told himself at the time. It made it easier to cut people open if you could convince yourself you had some kind of justification.

Wedler reluctantly stood and made his way out of the room. He cast one last glance at the girl on the table before heading out. One of the other medical staff was assigned to stay with her over the night to monitor her signs. He was too tired to do anything more. 

The two guards stationed outside the O.R. nodded to him as he exited. The doctor gave them a weak gesture of acknowledgment in passing and trudged down the corridor towards his quarters. Wedler always took the long way around, bypassing ward F-3. He never went down there... Nobody did unless they were stationed there. F-3 was where the failures were kept, locked up in small dark cells, observed, prodded and occasionally put out of their misery. The genetic anomalies were treated as curiosities now that they had managed to produce successful results. 

It was just too damn creepy.

* * **** ******************

  


Commandeered Van

8:53 PM

  


There was only silence in the van. Lydecker had taken the wheel after dumping an unconscious Logan into the back with Syl and Krit. He had quickly explained to the two remaining X5's what had happened. Zack had been captured and Max... was dead.

The news had not gone over well... not at all. What was to be a great triumph had disintegrated into a horrible tragedy. They had now lost three of their number to Manticore in only a handful of days. One step forward, two steps back... It was a bloody game of chess. Lydecker knew that. Sacrifices had to be made to gain ground... but one could always hope...

Logan hadn't spoken since regaining consciousness. His mouth tasted like sand and his eyes burned with unshed tears. He'd be damned if he'd cry now, not in front of them. He felt so... empty... cold. Turning the events over in his mind, he tried desperately to make sense out of what had happened. They had come so close... How had things gone so wrong?

Krit cleared his throat, knowing that someone had to take the first step, "What do we do now...?" His voice was soft and cautious, masking his grief.

"We rescue Zack," Logan spoke dispassionately without even looking at the people around him, his thoughts far away. The others looked at him, somewhat surprised that he had been the one to answer,"He knows where the other X5's are..." 

"First, we need to wait," Lydecker said with authority, "We'll see where the chips fall. The axe'll fall on someone for what happened. Let's let it happen and see if the chain of command gets revised. Maybe it'll take out a few more enemies."

"We need to re-arm too," Syl murmured, "And see if we can round up any of the others... Maybe we can find Jondy and Zane."

"Let's hope so," Lydecker nodded, "We'll need their backup if we're gonna pull this off."

************** ***********

A/N: Okay, this chapter was mostly just setting the scene and mood. The next one will be a little more emotional and get the plot ball rolling!


	2. Those Behind

Chapter 2: Those Behind

Logan's Pent House

Seattle, WA

12:52 AM

  


Logan sat quietly in his wheelchair, watching the rain fall outside the living room window. He had powered down the exoskeleton, not wanting to inflict unnecessary wear on the rather delicate machinery. He didn't feel like walking right now anyway... Didn't feel like much of anything, really.

Calling Cindy had been difficult. It wasn't something that he had wanted to do, but there was no one else to do it. Besides, if he didn't call her it would mean telling her face to face. He knew he couldn't handle that. She had laughed at first, wanting it to be a joke, but she quickly turned to words of disbelief, and then ones of anger. Logan knew she didn't really believe it was his fault. She had said as much when she began railing on Manticore and how they had destroyed the only good thing they ever made.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep?" Lydecker walked up behind him. Logan had taken the three people in for the night. It was the least he could do for all their help... 

"I can't sleep," Logan replied with no emotion.

Lydecker dragged a computer chair opposite the melancholy man and sat, "You can't spend your whole life grieving." He leaned back, interested in what Logan would say. Lydecker was a quick study. It didn't take him long to understand a person, their motives, their passions. Logan was harder to read than most, though. He guarded himself very carefully, and Lydecker didn't know much about his past. Logan Cale was a random element in the equation. Donald Lydecker didn't care for random elements.

Logan made a derisive noise, "So, what? I'm just supposed to forgive and forget?" He turned to look the older man in the eye, "It's just that easy? Get on with my life?"

"I didn't say that..."

"Well, what are you saying?" Logan was obviously agitated. His pain had no direction at the moment, and Lydecker had made himself an easy target, "I'm sure you could give me some great advice on dealing with lose, considering you spent ten years hunting for 'your kids' when they ran from you," He said acidly.

Lydecker's mouth kicked up at the corner, somehow amused at the other man's words, "Gives me a reason to get up in the morning."

"I just lost mine."

"You've got a new one."

"And just what, pray tell, is that?"

"Easy. Revenge," lifting a shoulder, he leaned in, waiting for a response.

Logan didn't speak for a moment, absorbing what the other man had said.

"Might not be the prettiest reason, but its enough when you have nothing else," smiling, Lydecker studied the weary man in the wheel chair. He recalled seeing the shooting that had crippled Logan on the news. It hadn't really caught his attention at the time, but after seeing Logan give himself up in exchange for the women hostages at the convention, Lydecker had made a point of looking the story over again. An unusual person... Rich without even having to work, yet putting his life on the line for people who had no connection to him.

"Enough..." Logan murmured. He locked eyes with the older man, "I'll do what I can. My... financial situation isn't what it was, but I have some resources I can still draw on."

"Good. I thought you'd come around. We'll probably need you're particular skills again too." Lydecker stood and turned to leave. He paused, though, and turned back to Logan, "I want you to know that I did care about Max... I care about all of them. I never wanted to see them hurt... I don't intend to let it slide either." With measured, military steps, he left him to his thoughts.

Logan turned his attention back to the rain outside. //Enough... for now...//

  


* *

Logan's Pent House

Next Day

8:54 AM

  


"So what's the plan?" Krit asked, his arms crossed over his chest. Though the loss of Max was still painfully fresh, the X5's had been drilled to force personal feelings away and focus on whatever mission was at hand. 

"Obviously we need to find a way to get Zack out of there... There aren't enough of us to be able to fight our way in - not with the security they'll have called in," Syl said thoughtfully. Sitting in one of the kitchen chairs, she leaned her elbows on the table.

"We'll just have to find some other way," Logan commented. It was obvious from the dark circles under his eyes that he hadn't sleep the night before. 

Lydecker, sitting across from him, reflectively studied a fork that was laying on the table top, "They have something we want... So we'll just have to find something they want."

"A trade?" Syl questioned, watching him with a cautious eye.

"They'll be hurting after yesterday... We took out their means of support. Without the DNA lab, they can't make any more soldiers. There's no reason for the syndicate to continue to fund something that isn't going to be productive," Lydecker smiled at some thought the others had missed.

"True... Sometimes the military isn't so different from a business..." Logan smiled grimly, "These people are obviously not immune to greed."

"So what do we trade? What do we have that they'd want? Besides you..." Krit turned his gaze on the man who had inspired such fear in him for so many years.

Lydecker grinned and leaned back in his chair, "Well, you've got a point now, don't you..?"

"No," Logan said firmly, calling attention back to himself, "We're going to need him if we want to pull this off. He knows the in's and out's of Manticore better than any of us. Besides, I doubt they'd be willing to trade one of their few remaining soldiers for a man they just want to kill. Our best bet is information."

"What do you mean?" Krit asked, "Like information about the genetics research?"

"Not exactly... I was thinking more along the lines of black-mail," Logan said.

Lydecker chuckled, "Well, well... Not bad. You've got some moves of your own, I see..."

Syl glanced at him, and then turned back to Logan, "Black mail... Do you think it'll work?"

Logan nodded affirmatively, "With everything they've lost, if they still have funding at all, it'll be tenuous at best... Bad PR on top of that would likely mean the end of their backing. Somehow I don't think they want that..."

"How do we dig up these secrets? We don't exactly have access to the inside anymore," Krit drummed his fingers on the marble table, "I'm sure we'll need proof... some hard evidence that we can hand them in exchange for Zack."

"That's where you come in, right?" Logan cocked his head and watched Lydecker's face, "I'm sure you've still got some people loyal to you."

"Hmph... Yeah, I think I can cash in a few favors... It'll be risky, though. I'm not entirely sure who all they've managed to turn against me. I'll need to be sure they won't go running to Renfro..."

Nodding, Logan stood, "Good point... Do you have anyone you think you can still trust?"

With a crooked smile, Lydecker said, "I think McGinnis is out... But Taylor's always been a loyal man... Saved his ass a few times when the company wanted a scapegoat... He owes me and isn't all that friendly with the Director."

"Any idea how to get in contact with him?" Logan asked.

"Cell phone," Lydecker shrugged as if it should have been obvious, "Need to make sure they can't trace the call, of course, but I doubt you'll have much trouble with that..."

Logan nodded again, "Good... Let's see if we can't get a hold of this Taylor..."

* *

Lydecker hung up the phone and turned to Logan, "That was the easy part... Taylor's going to meet me at the warehouse. He's managed to dig up some files that've been conveniently hiding for a while now... They should do nicely."

"Are we sure we can trust this guy not to blow the whistle and show up with a platoon or something?" Krit questioned.

"Taylor?" Lydecker made looked amused, "He's never been creative enough to betray anyone. Good man to have on your side, but not someone to guard your back. He'll do what I tell him."

"Even so, let's not take any chances," Logan looked at Krit and Syl, "You should go with him. Just in case."

"You sure? Shouldn't someone stay here to help hold the fort?" Syl's brow furrowed as she looked to Logan, "What if you need backup?".

Logan smiled faintly, appreciative of the concern for his safety, "I'll be fine here. There's no reason for anyone to come looking for me. What's important right now is that we get that information."

  


**************** ****************

A/N: Logan's got a plan and Lydecker's got some contacts on the inside. What's the next step? 

  


  



	3. Bent

Chapter 3: Bent

Logan's Pent House

Seattle, WA

  


  


Logan wheeled himself over to the door, wondering who could be knocking. The others had left only hours ago and shouldn't have been back so soon.

Unless something had gone wrong...

To say he was surprised to see Original Cindy standing in the hall when he opened the door was an understatement, "What're you doing here?"

"Nice welcome," she said tartly.

"Uh... sorry... Please, come in."

Cindy strode past him into the foyer of the apartment, clearly nervous by the way she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Logan pushed himself over towards her. It would have been easier with the exoskeleton, but he had decided to be conservative. He still didn't have complete faith in the machine to not cut out on him in an emergency, and he didn't want to press his luck if he didn't have to.

"Nah... I just wanted to... make sure you're all right..." Cindy glanced around, taking in the surroundings, "Nice place..." she commented.

"Thanks... and you don't need to worry about me..."

"'Kay... I just... felt an obligation to check up on you... Since you and my boo were so tight..." Cindy turned and slowly started towards the door, "I can't believe she's really gone... I'm gonna miss her..."

"Me too..." Logan said softly, "She didn't deserve this..." and then, almost inaudibly, "I should've done more..."

Cindy rounded on him suddenly, eyes flashing with fury, "Now you listen here, Mr. Weain'tlikethatwe'reonlyfriends! I know my boo had some serious feelings your y'all and she'd've walked through hell and back to save your sorry hide, but what happened was NOT your fault! And you'd see that if you weren't so stuck on feeling sorry for yourself. If you even THINK about doin' somethin' stupid and gettin' yourself hurt, I'm gonna put some serious hurtin' on your skinny white ass! Your job is to get these people who killed her and make them pay. For you, for me, and for everybody who cared about Max! Do I make myself ab-so-lute-ly clear?!"

"I... uh... yeah..." Logan stared, obviously taken aback.

"Good! 'Cause Original Cindy does NOT like to repeat herself!" she spun on her heel and stalked to the door.

"Cindy!" Logan called as she put her hand on the knob.

"Yeah," she said cautiously, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Thanks... I needed that." he smiled softly.

"Anytime," she hitched a shoulder, "If you need someone to chew you outta your mood again, you just call, aiight?"

"Aiight," Logan favored her with a lopsided grin.

She nodded purposefully and turned the knob, "Original Cindy's gotta go now before she does somethin' stupid like havin' a break down, so I'll see ya around."

"Take care of yourself, Cindy."

She paused before closing the door behind her, "You too, Logan... You too."

  


* * *

Warehouse

Seattle, WA

  


Lydecker lounged in the passenger's seat of the humvee Max had stolen two days before. Neither Krit nor Syl had been willing to let him drive, which didn't surprise him. He glanced at his watch for the fifth time in as many minutes, wanting to get the deal under way. //Where the hell is Taylor?//

A powder blue sedan pulled up near the entrance of the warehouse, and a tall man nervously got out of the driver's side. He glanced around before scurrying through the tall doors, "Deck...?" he called softly, "You here?"

"The man is never on time," Lydecker muttered as he got out of the car, "Over here, Taylor. You have what I asked for?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Taylor wet his lips anxiously, "Are... are you sure about this? Do you have any idea how much trouble..."

Lydecker cut him off with a gesture, "We don't have time for small talk, Taylor. The longer we stand here, the better our chances are of getting caught."

"Right, right..." fishing two cd cases from his jacket pocket, Taylor handed them to him, "But... Maybe you shouldn't do this... They're mad enough at you as it is. Do you really want to cause more trouble? I mean, you BUILT Manticore..."

"Don't remind me," Lydecker murmured as he inspected the disks, "There's no choice left. Renfro's signed my death warrant, and I don't intend to just roll over and let her stick the knife in. If you're smart, Taylor, you'll get the hell out while you can. She'll be on the warpath now, and anyone who's connected to me will likely get burned."

Taylor nodded, "Okay... Okay, I can do that... I don't think I can help you anymore, Deck, but... be careful... Working for you was a lot better than dealing with... her..."

Lydecker tucked the cd's into his coat, "I don't doubt it. Now get out of here before anyone else shows up, all right?"

"Yes, sir!" Taylor turned and hurried back to his car. He paused for only a moment before getting in, casting one last glance at his former boss, "Take care of yourself..."

With a curt nod, Lydecker watched the other man leave. He headed back to the humvee and clambered back inside the tall vehicle. Lydecker didn't even spare a glance at Krit who was in the driver's seat, "Let's go. We've got work to do." 

********** ***********

A/N: The wheels are starting to turn. What's going to happen next? Read the next chapter!


	4. Control

Disclaimer: I don't own Dark Angel and there's no way I'm going to profit from this either! I'm just a poor college student and if you sue me, you'll get bupkis!

  


  


A/N: Wow! People actually like it! I'm so excited! I've got lots planned for this story and I'm not even quite sure just yet how it will all wrap up in the end. But have faith! I'll try to come up with something good. Sorry if the conversations are a bit dull. They've mostly been functional so far. I'll work at getting some good character driven chapters in too! Thanks for the encouragement too!

************** *****************

Chapter 4: Control

  


Logan's Penthouse

Seattle, WA

  


Logan eagerly poured over the information from the disks Lydecker had brought him. It was even better than he'd hoped for. Manticore had been hiding plenty of information from its investors. 

"So?" Krit asked. He was finding it more and more difficult to maintain the cool facade that Manticore had drilled into him.

"Looks like we're in luck. Seems Manticore has a good number of skeletons hiding in the closet... and they're all neatly documented right here," Logan gestured at the screen, "Why did you keep this around anyway, Lydecker? This has the potential to stir up a lot of trouble."

Lydecker smirked, "To tell the truth, it wasn't my idea. Taylor's always been rather anal... Good quality in an accountant, but dangerous in this case. This is the only copy. It's encrypted and protected to keep it from getting... passed around."

"How are we going to contact Manticore?" Syl glanced from Logan to Lydecker, "We'll need to set up something for the trade. Additional support would be good too, considering their tendency towards backstabbing."

"First, we need to get their attention," Logan smiled to himself.

"What? We blow up another building?" Krit seated himself in one of the extra chairs that Logan had brought into the computer room.

"I was thinking of something a little less... violent," Logan commented dryly.

"How do we do this without exposing ourselves? Phones can be traced..." Krit looked at Logan curiously, wondering what he had in mind.

"True... but Eyes Only can't."

Krit stared at him blankly. Of all the things he had thought Logan might say, THAT was not one of them, "W...what?"

Lydecker started laughing which immediately drew everyone's eyes, "Well I'll be damned... Now I know why Eyes Only's been getting involved," focusing on Logan he grinned, "Never thought I'd get to meet you face to face."

Syl gaped at Logan, "YOU'RE Eyes Only?"

With a shrug, he responded cryptically, "I didn't say that..."

Lydecker snorted derisively, "As if you thought we couldn't keep a secret."

Logan smiled wryly, "True enough... I doubt I need to tell you three that this information can't be told to anyone, right?"

Syl nodded, "You saved our lives once. We owe you at least that much. It's nice to meet you in person so I can thank you."

"You don't need to thank me. Just doing my job." 

*************** *****************

Manticore Base: Infirmary

  


  


  


Max drifted in and out of a drug induced haze. They'd been keeping her heavily sedated ever since she'd tried to escape. Several days ago, she'd managed to break one of the restraints that bound her hands and had grabbed an orderly who had been checking her monitors.

The guy had freaked and started yelling, but Max hadn't cared at the time. She wanted out and would do whatever it took. Unfortunately, she was still weak from the procedure, and the guards had pinned her down in the end while a doctor pumped her full of sedatives.

She couldn't remember much of what had happened after, having pretty much slept through the past few days. Her brain actually welcomed the time out. There were a lot of things she really didn't want to think about.

//Zack...//

Max had tried so hard to convince herself that what Renfro had said was just a lie to screw with her head. The thought of Zack being gone, leaving her alone in hell was too much to bear.

The infirmary was quiet except for the incessant beeping of the heart monitor and a television that had been stuck up on a shelf on the wall. Some reruns of a pre-pulse soap opera were all that ever seemed to get watched. Max ignored the images, but the sound of voices and background music occasionally cut through the fog.

"Well, aren't we lucky today?" an excessively cheerful nurse smiled at her from the foot of the bed, "You've got a visitor!" she chirped.

//Huh? Who could it be? They never announce Renfro... Not that I want to see her again...//

Brin walked over to her bedside. She glanced at the nurse - a signal for her to get back to watching the tv - and the woman quickly obliged. Brin seemed edgy, unsure she should have come to see her wayward sister. Her sharp eyes darted about the alcove that housed Max's bed as if searching for a cue as to what to say or do. She finally gave up and cleared her throat, "How are you feeling?"

Max's brain rapidly sought a clever response but found none, "Better..." she said quietly instead.

The single word seemed to relieve Brin, who relaxed noticeably, "It's not so bad, you know... You'll be glad you came back, Max. It's so much better here than on the outside. You don't have to worry about anything! Food, clothes, a place to sleep..."

"Thinking for yourself," Max interrupted bitterly. Brin frowned in response and tensed up again, "Can you hear yourself? You're talking about Manticore like it's a church camp!"

"You're still weak from the surgery. When you're better, everything will seem different," Brin's voice was hard, refusing to betray her inner emotions, "You'll be doing what you were meant to do. It's our purpose in life. I just wish Zack..." she suddenly fell silent.

Max squeezed her eyes shut. //Nonononono! It wasn't true!//

"He died for you, Max... So you could come home," Brin's emotionless mask slipped then, revealing some of the intense loneliness she had been feeling since her return.

"No!" Max cried, "He died so we could be free! So we wouldn't have to run anymore! So..." she choked, unable to say more.

"It's okay, Max... It wasn't your fault," Brin understood her sister's pain, even shared some of it, "Everything will be fine. You're home now and we're..."

"Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a streaming freedom video bulletin. Eyes Only cannot be bought or threatened. The cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced, it can not be stopped, and it is the only free voice left."

//Logan!// Max felt her throat constrict with emotion. At least he was all right... She could recognize the intensity in his eyes but there was something new; a steely edge to his gaze that was never there before. The infirmary staff gathered near the tv to watch. It seemed that it was something they had done before and even the guards turned their eyes to the screen. Brin simply frowned and turned her head to see what was going on.

"Justice has become a rare thing these days. Blood has been shed and lives destroyed to protect it. The fight isn't over, though, and may never end. A military organization known as project Manticore has been supplying weapons and soldiers to the terrorist group known as Blue 24."

Brin gasped, her body stiffening in shock. Murmurs went up from the crowd of employees before someone called for quiet.

  


Renfro's Office

(Same Time)

  


"Ma'am, I think you need to see this..." one of the guards jogged into the room and turned on the monitor to Renfro's right.

"The weapons are experimental military hardware which Manticore has given to Blue 24 to test in field combat."

Renfro's eyes narrowed. //Who the hell was this guy? //

"Those weapons were used recently to murder 105 people, including government employees.. and their innocent families. Yet, Manticore continues their affiliation with the terrorists."

She let out a breath that sounded like a hiss. //This was very bad...//

"Recently, a close friend and associate of Eyes Only was murdered by the people who head Project Manticore. In her memory, there will be justice." The image blanked out for a moment before being replaced with the normal programming.

"Damn it!" Renfro slapped her palm on the desktop. //I don't need this now!//

"Ma'am..." the same soldier held the telephone out to her, "It's the Chairman..."

Renfro snatched the phone from the man's hand and pasted a false smile on her face, "Mr. Chairman. How can I help you?"

  


************** **************

  


  


  


Eye's Only Contact Point/Logan's Pent House

  


  


Renfro slid into the chair in front of the screen. Ever since the broadcast, she'd been dodging verbal bullets. The committee had NOT been pleased to hear the broadcast about Blue 24. Especially considering they had never been told about it in the first place.

It hadn't really surprised her when Eyes Only called several hours later. The technicians had tried to trace the call, but, of course, they hadn't gotten anything. Instead, Eyes Only had given her an address and a time. Apparently he wanted to talk. Leaning back, she waited for Eyes Only to make his appearance. He had all ready caused her enough trouble, and she certainly didn't need anymore. Not that she'd let HIM know.

"Director Renfro." A pair of icy blue eyes lit up the dark screen.

"Present... So, what's this little meeting all about?" she drawled, toying with a pen in her hand.

"I have information I think you don't want to see the light of day," the digitized voice said confidently.

"And just what might that be?"

"Files... Misappropriated funds, failed experiments you never reported. A little of everything. You've been busy."

"So I should just take your word for this, right?" she laughed, "Forgive me if I'm skeptical."

Logan smiled though she couldn't see it. He glanced at one of the files that he had previously pulled up on a separate screen, "ECS-460. Does that ring a bell?"

Renfro's eyes narrowed dangerously, //How does he know about that?//

A thought leapt to her mind //Lydecker!//

"Well, well... You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" she murmured, "I'm sure you've got a reason for going to all this trouble, so why don't you just speed things up and tell me what you want."

"X5-599. Zack."

Renfro blinked. //They don't know about Zack.... This might just work to my advantage...// "So you're proposing a trade..."

"You give him to us, and we hand over the disks. You keep all the hard evidence and no one's the wiser."

//Us? Eyes Only wasn't working alone... It HAD to be Lydecker.// "Do you really think your information is worth that much?"

"Depends on how much your funding is worth to you. You've already lost your DNA lab and murdered two X5's."

"Two? Ah... you mean X5-656... and 452..."

"Her NAME was Max!" the digitized voice snarled, his composure slipping.

Off screen, Syl glanced nervously at Logan, worried he might be revealing too much through his emotions. She glance instinctively at Lydecker who motioned for her to stay.

Renfro smiled as she leaned her elbows on the table, folding her hands, "We didn't kill her... We SAVED her."

The eyes on the screen narrowed slightly, but Eyes Only didn't speak.

"Her... friends left her for dead. We took her in and revived her. Actually, she's recovering quite nicely now..."

Eyes Only's normally piercing gaze had become unnerved, unsure, darting to the side as if trying to find something that would let him regain control of the situation.

//Gotcha!// Smiling smugly, Renfro addressed the screen, "Well... obviously this is... news to you, so I'll let you RETHINK your offer. When you're ready..." she said as she stood, "Give me a call." She reached out and turned the monitor off. 

Turning, she spoke to McGinnis, "I want to you find everything you can about Eyes Only. We don't need him interfering any more than he already has." The so called cyber journalist was quickly turning from a nuisance to an outright threat. 

She was in control now, though. If she played the cards right, Eyes Only would drop right into her hands... 

Renfro smiled as she walked towards the car that had brought her there. What a nice little present he would make for the committee. Or maybe they'd sell him to the highest bidder. There were a lot of people who wanted Eyes Only silenced, and they'd pay handsomely for the privilege of putting a bullet in his head. Eyes Only might make up for all the problems he'd cause them by solving their funding crisis. Renfro allowed herself to laugh out loud at the irony of the thought.

  


Logan stared unblinking at the dark screen in front of him. //Max...// Could she really be alive? Could he dare to hope...

Krit looked at Logan's stunned face, "Didn't you hear that? Max's alive!" he gestured wildly, unable to contain his joy.

Lydecker grunted and rubbed his jaw, "We don't know that for sure, that bitch might just be trying to throw us off track..."

Syl's face looked pained at the thought that the revelation might not be true, "How can we find out? We need to know!"

"I might be able to hack into some of the peripheral networks for Manticore... If she's alive, there'll be some records... something..." Logan said quietly, his sharp mind running through the possibilities.

"We have more to worry about than that..." Lydecker said, "We may have tipped our hand. We're going to need something more if we want to get the ball back... and now they know we're up to something. They'll be expecting us."

"But it's okay, " Krit said determinedly, "We WILL find something..."

Logan's smile was grim, but his eyes spoke of hope, "What ever it takes..." he murmured, "What ever it takes..."

*********** **************

A/N: Whew... Yeah, I have trouble ending chapters... I hope you'll excuse the chopping finishes. I'm working on that! So what's next? Still interested? :) I hope so! I've got lots more where this came from. Logan, Lydecker and Co. are looking to get Max and Zack back. They don't know Zack is dead which will cause some problems later. But Manticore won't be the only people they have to worry about! Stay tuned... :)


	5. Truth and Dare

A/N: Woops... apparently I've been spelling Zack's name wrong... Thanks for the heads up True! I think I've got all the Zack's spelled right now, though. A big, huge thank you to all the people who have written reviews! You guys are so great! I hope I can keep you all entertained for at least a little while. :)

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Dark Angel or the characters (well, 'cept the ones not from the show, but you can borrow them if you like), and I'm not profiting from this either. Just having a lot of fun with 'em. :)

  


*********** ***************

Chapter 5: Truth and Dare

Logan's Penthouse

Seattle, WA

  


  


Logan winced as he rotated his shoulder in an attempt to work a kink out. There was an audible "pop" from the joint, but it felt slightly looser afterwards. He rubbed his tired eyes, displacing his glasses in doing so. For the last four hours he had been hacking his way past Manticore computer security searching for any information on Max. So far, there was nothing.

//No... I'm not going to give up. She HAS to be alive... I can't let myself believe that Renfro was just using her name as bait... There has to be something...//

"Any luck?" Lydecker dropped into the chair near Logan. 

It was an odd thing to be sitting with the man who had tortured and hunted the woman he cared so much about, "Not yet."

Lydecker made a non-committal noise, "She might not really be alive. I wouldn't put it past Renfro to play us like that."

"Just the same, I'm going to keep looking," Logan's fingers flew easily across the familiar keyboard. 

"I expected you to say that... If you can't find anything... when will you let it go?" Lydecker watched him curiously.

Logan's head snapped around to look angrily at Lydecker. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words died in his throat. When WOULD he let it go? 

// When there's nothing left for me to do.// He would try until he completely ran out of options. It was the least he could do for her. Logan turned back to the screen rather than responding.

Running his fingers through his graying blond hair, Lydecker sighed, "I want to find her as much as you do... But this isn't going to be easy. Even if she is alive, they'll try to reprogram her. We may end up having to fight her too."

"No. Max will fight them," Logan said confidently.

"You have no idea, do you?" Lydecker shook his head with a wry smile, "She might try... Actually, I don't doubt that she will. Max's a strong girl, but no one's that strong. Manticore has a way of being... persuasive."

"Why are you telling me this? I thought you wanted to find her." Logan kept his eyes fixed on the screen. There was no way he was going to let Lydecker know just how much he feared Max being turned against them... against him.

"I do. But... You need to be prepared," Lydecker leaned towards Logan, "You have to realize that if you see her again, she might not be the person you remember."

Logan glanced at him and paused for a moment before resuming his search, "That's all the more reason for us to get her out... What's this...?"

Lydecker moved to be able to see the monitor, "It looks like a medical report... from the infirmary."

"Look!" Logan could barely contain himself, "X5-452! Max! This is about Max!" Quickly scanning the document with his eyes, Logan realized that it was only a preliminary report, "This isn't the full account... But, look," He pointed to a line of text, "Gunshot wound to the chest... full cardiac arrest... It looks like some lines have been deleted..." Logan frowned.

"Here," Lydecker tapped the screen, "It says she was transferred to the ICU..."

"She IS alive..." Logan let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"There's more to this... There should be a formal report from the doctor in charge... Can you find it?"

A moment passed to the rattle of Logan's fingers on the keys, "It's in here... but I can't get to it," Logan said, frustration evident in his voice, "It's been put under clearance level five. I'd need passwords and numbers..."

"Damn..." Lydecker sat back in the chair. There had to be something special in that report if they had secured it. He REALLY wanted to see that file... 

"Something wrong?" Krit walked into the room, followed closely by his blonde sister.

"Max IS alive!" Logan spun in his chair to face them, "I found a medical report." The two X5's exchanged looks of relief. At least they hadn't lost yet another sibling to Manticore. "There's something that's been taken out of the report, though," Logan warned, "It has to be significant for them to hide it like that..."

"Whatever it is will have to wait... We have to get Max and Zack out of that place," Syl said.

Lydecker stood, gathering an air of authority around him like a palpable thing, "First we need to rearm ourselves and see if we can't get any back-up. I'd hate to go into this thing with only two soldiers."

"I might be able to find Zane..." Krit said reluctantly. It went against every fiber of his being to reveal the location of his brother to Lydecker, but it might be the only way they could rescue Max and Zack.

"Might?" Lydecker crossed his arms, "We don't have much time to waste. How sure are you that you can get to him?"

Automatically drawing himself to attention, Krit responded, "Almost certain. I saw him not that long ago..." he stopped short of giving the location. 

"Good. Do either of you know where Jondy is? Or Jace?" Lydecker was a bit disappointed when they both indicated the negative. //Well, one more is better than none...// "All right then. The two of you go get Zane and fill him in on the situation. I'd only send one of you, but if things get rough, we wouldn't be able to bail you out. We're going to need all three of you if Manticore decides to play hardball, and they always do."

Logan regarded the X5's, "I should be able to round up some equipment before you get back. We won't really be able to stay in contact... but use this number if you need to reach us." Logan handed a slip of paper to Krit who glanced at it. It wasn't necessary to keep the paper, of course, since he could easily remember it.

"You have your mission, soldiers," Lydecker clasped his hands behind his back and watched the two youngsters. Both nodded to him and headed for the door.

"Be careful," Logan called, disliking the impersonal way Lydecker had dismissed them.

"Don't worry about us. We'll be back in no time," Syl called with a smile just before closing the door behind her.

With a heavy sigh, Logan forced his body to relax. He tipped his head to the side and looked at Lydecker, "Looks like its just you and me for a while..." //Oh, God... Did I just say that? I MUST be tired...//

Seating himself again, Lydecker favored him with a half-smile, "Maybe you should get some sleep. You're starting to look a little green around the gills."

//Sleep? With HIM here? Not that I have much choice...// "Yeah... I suppose so..." Logan stood up and found his legs wobbling a little. He hadn't really thought he was that tired, but then again... "Well... Good night, anyway..."

As he moved towards the bedroom door, Logan heard Lydecker say with a sarcastic tone, "Pleasant dreams..." 

  


************* ******************

_Strong hands touched his face, gently running along the line of his jaw. Logan's eyes flew open and he couldn't help but stare at the sight in front of him._

_"Max?! Max... My God..."_

_He pushed himself to a sitting position, "Max... Thank God... I was so worried... but how...?"_

_A finger pressed against his lips to stop his words. She smiled and kissed his face._

_"Max..." he breathed, reaching for her. Her fingers slid up into his hair and she tipped his head back, looking him in the eyes._

_//Something's wrong...// Her dark eyes glittered with menace. A sharp stab of fear lanced through his chest. "Max...?" he questioned, barely able to push her name past his lips._

_Her generous lips twisted in a cruel smile, and with a sharp motion, she snapped his neck._

Logan gasped and sat up, his heart pounding. //What? A dream... just a dream...// He shuddered and rubbed at his eyes, wanting to drive away the images from the nightmare. //Not real...//

He plucked his glasses from the night stand and put them on. A glance at the clock informed him that it was already 9:50 AM. Logan sighed. //Overslept...//

After dressing and putting on the exoskeleton, Logan let himself out into the living room. Lydecker sat near the window where the mid-morning sun was streaming in. He glanced at Logan and raised the glass of orange juice that was in his hand, "Hope you don't mind..."

"Not at all," Logan shrugged. //Not at all? What's next? Make yourself at home?//

A knock came from the front door, and Logan happily headed out to answer it, thankful for the distraction. Lydecker seemed less pleased and rested his free hand on his gun as he stood.

Logan opened the door to find Original Cindy, "Hey... What's up? It's good to see you again... Actually, have something I need... What?" Cindy was staring at him, not responding to his words. Logan looked down at himself in confusion. Why was she staring...? 

//You're standing, stupid.// his brain supplied. "Oh... I forgot... Uh... I can explain... Just come in, please." Logan waved her past him, and she complied. Her mouth opened to start asking questions when she saw Lydecker standing in doorway to the living room. She came to a full stop, "What the HELL is he doin' here?!"

"Uh... I can explain that too," Logan said quickly, "He's here to help actually."

"Riiight..." Cindy drew the word out to express her lack of faith in Logan's answer, "This is just too many surprises this early in the mornin',"

"I've got another one for you," Logan said with a grin, "Max is alive!"

"WHAT?!" disbelief, shock, and joy went to war over which got to express itself on her face, "Talk fast, Logan," she demanded.

"We found medical records in Manticore's database. They found Max and revived her." Logan found her couldn't stop smiling. After having been the one to tell Cindy about her friends death, it felt good to give her the news that she was still among the living.

Lydecker shook his head and rolled his eyes, "I take it she knows, then." //How many others know? Damn... this is all I need...//

Cindy fixed him with an icy stare for a moment before turning back to Logan, "You SURE?"

Logan nodded vigorously.

"Damn... Okay, I gotta sit down now," Cindy made her way over to the couch where she promptly sat. She looked Logan up and down for a moment, "Oh, right. Almost forgot. How'd you get up and about, anyway?"

"Ah," Lifting his pant leg so she could see the exoskeleton, Logan shrugged nonchalantly, "A gift from an eccentric friend."

"That's one hell of a present," she muttered, deciding she could forgo the full story for the moment, "And him..." she jerked a thumb in Lydecker's direction, "He's here to help get Max back?" 

"Pretty much."

The look on Cindy's face clearly stated her difficulty in believing Logan's words.

Lydecker heaved a sigh and sat back down near the window. It annoyed him when people spoke as if he wasn't even in the room, but there was little to do about it. 

"You sure you can trust 'em...? Wait," Cindy held up a hand to halt Logan's response, "I know. You wouldn't let him in here if you didn't... Right..." she blew out a long breath in an attempt to steady her nerves, "This is a lot to drop on a girl all at once, ya know?" 

Logan grinned, "Well, I thought it'd be better to tell you right away. Didn't want to give you an excuse to kick my ass later."

She eyed him as if she was seriously considering the action even now, "How long have you known about this, then?"

"Just last night. I would have called..."

"Whatever..." she waved her hands in the air and a childish smile appeared on her face, "I can't believe this... My girl's gonna be all right?"

Logan put a hand on her shoulder, "We're going to get her back."

"Ya know... I believe you," she shook her head, "Damn... I guess it's a good thing I couldn't figure out how to spring the bad news on everyone else. Now I just gotta find somethin' to tell Normal to get him off my back. I'm runnin' out of excuses for Max."

Lydecker watched their exchange with something akin to disgust. //Civilians...// There were reasons not to get them involved in military affairs. They tended to bog things down with their emotional out look and strange senses of ethics. Cale, at least, seemed to be useful, though...

"Don't worry about it," Logan told her, "We'll work something out..." He thought for a brief moment, "Tell Normal Max's in the hospital for her neurological disorder... It should sound serious enough to shut him up for a while," his blue eyes danced with amusement. 

"Good, 'cause I'm gettin' seriously close to smackin' his ass."

"By the way... was there a reason you stopped by?" 

"Oh yeah... Got a package for ya," Cindy dug through her bag and handed a small brown box to Logan. She was slightly embarrassed at having forgot, but hid it well.

"What's this?" he said as he studied the item in question.

"Beats me. You expectin' somethin'?" 

"No..." he murmured as he opened it. He hurriedly displaced some packing styrofoam to get to the contents, "Hey... it's another battery pack." 

"Huh?" Cindy blinked at him.

"For the exoskeleton," Logan said as he removed it from the box, "This must be from Sebastian. I was telling him that I was worried about not having a spare," he grinned again, "I'll have to thank him..."

"Uh... yeah, whatever," Cindy shrugged, "I hate to be anti-social or somethin', but if I don't get back to work, I'll be listenin' to 'bip, bip, bip' all damn day." She stood and cast a disdainful glance at Lydecker who was pointedly ignoring the conversation, "Make sure you watch your back, 'kay? I'm countin' on you to come through for my boo."

"Don't worry. I'll do everything I can," Logan walked her towards the door.

"I know you will," she turned to him before heading out, "Just bring her... AND you back, aiight?"

"Definitely."

"Good," she gave him a lopsided grin as she pulled the door closed behind her.

When Logan returned to the living room, Lydecker was waiting with an exasperated stare, "How many people know about Manticore?"

Logan paused, "Well... aside from Cindy... Sebastian... and Bling."

Resisting the urge to throttle Logan for his loose tongue, Lydecker stood, "You'd better hope you can trust these people... We can't afford to tack on anymore liability than we've all ready got," he started for the kitchen with his empty glass, but paused just as he passed the younger man, "I only hope you realize what danger your putting these people... and us in. If anyone finds out that they know something, your friends will become prime targets, Cale. And somehow I highly doubt that any of them have the training to withstand the kind of things they'll be put through."

Logan's jaw tightened as Lydecker brushed past him. On a rational level, he knew the man was right. It was more than possible that one of their enemies might use their friends as bait... or worse, torturing them to learn the secrets. That was why he never told anyone, even his informants, about the identity of Eyes Only. Just knowing the truth could put someone in danger. Part of him bristled at the thought of Lydecker's cold, military philosophies being the right way to live.

Returning from the kitchen, Lydecker retook his window seat, "We're going to need some weapons very soon... And a base of operations. Somehow I don't think your apartment will stand up to a full scale military assault," he said dryly.

"Well, my financial clout isn't what it was, but I think there are still a few strings I can pull to get us some hardware."

Lydecker crossed his arms over his chest, "Then maybe you'd care to get started on that?" his face was an expressionless mask, but his eyes betrayed a certain amount of impatience. The longer they waited, the better the chances of them being found by Renfro's operatives.

Logan glowered at him for a moment, but reluctantly agreed, "Yeah, right... I'll get right on it."

  


  


*********** *************

A/N: Eek! So what's next? Lydecker and Logan do some male bonding! No, not really... just kidding... Scary thought, huh? I'll try to post the next chapter soon. I'm wrestling with final reviews, but this is certainly more interesting. :)


	6. All's Fair

A/N: Here's the next chapter! Hope your not bored. :) I've never tried to write an action sequence before, but here goes nothing! If anybody has some tips, please feel free to send them my way. By the way, for those who don't know, the car Logan drives is actually a Pontiac Aztec. Those things are pretty weird looking if you get up close. :)

  


**************** *******************

Chapter 6: All's Fair

  


  


Manticore Base, Infirmary

  


Max stared at the ceiling for lack of anything better to do. Most of the infirmary staff refused to even approach her now. Not that she minded... It meant she had the chance to think. The drugs they had kept giving her were finally out of her system, and her mind was clear again. There were a lot of things she needed to work through.

Logan's cable hack had done a great deal to restore her resolve. Just knowing he was alive and still fighting gave her strength. Some of his words still rattled around in her mind, though. He had spoken about loosing a friend... Did he think she was dead? A faint memory of him holding her and telling her she would be fine pricked at her consciousness. Sometimes she thought she had heard him sobbing her name, over and over...

Dr. Wedler perused the results he had just received of the blood analysis. He jotted down a few notes in the margins for future reference before heading over to Max's bed. "Well, looks like you're just about ready to get out of here," he said with what was meant to be a reassuring smile. For him, it was good news. Renfro had been hounding him ever since the Eyes Only broadcast. It wasn't like he could really do anything more to make the X5 better faster. The woman just wouldn't leave him alone. 

Max gave him a menacing stare. Oh, she wanted out, all right... not just out of the infirmary, but out of Manticore all together. Unfortunately, leaving the infirmary would mean they were ready to start trying to brainwash her into being a good little soldier again. She was alert for any opportunity, any at all, that might present a way for her to escape. There was no way in hell she'd go down with out a fight. 

Wedler fidgeted and sought something else to look at, "You're vitals are looking good... blood pressure's good... strong pulse..." //What's wrong with you? The girl is tied down. There's nothing she can do to you... I hope...//

//The guy's scared... Maybe he'll do something stupid if I play this right...// Max put on her best teary-eyed expression and proceeded to beg, "Please... I don't want to go back... Don't make me go back..." 

The doctor looked shocked for a moment and stammered as he sought for something to say, "Well... I... I..."

Max vaguely remembered having seen the man once, a few weeks before the escape. She had ended up with a deep gash in her leg during one of their training exercises, and he had been brought in to stitch the wound up. She could recall him chatting amiably with her while he worked, obviously wanting to calm her... not that she'd been particularly upset or anything. He probably had been used to "normal" children who cried and screamed when they were hurt, "I'm scared... Please... You know what they'll do to me... I don't want to end up like that again," she sobbed convincingly.

Wedler glanced around, unsure of what to do. He'd always had a bit of a soft spot for kids, "It's okay... Don't worry... Everything will be fine," he soothed, awkwardly patting her shoulder. //I shouldn't be doing this... Someone's going to see, and I'll be in a hell of a lot of trouble... but... Awe, hell...// "Look, maybe I can check things again... Another day or so of rest might do you good..." 

Max gave him the "brave-little-girl" smile, "Oh, thank you... thank you..." //The dope is actually buying this?! I thought I was laying it on a little thick... Just lean over here a little more, you moron...//

Wedler smiled, feeling much better now that the girl had stopped crying. He couldn't stand crying females... "There, see? Everything's going to be fine..." There was a distinct snap as Max broke the brace that held her right wrist. "ACK!" Wedler gasped as Max's hand suddenly clamped around the back of his neck, twisting his head just enough to make it hurt.

"Untie me... NOW..." she hissed in his ear, "If you yell, I'll break your neck."

//Oh... Now you've done it...// Wedler hastily worked at the release for the straps. //I am so dead... Doesn't matter how this works out, someone's going to kill me...//

Instantly, Max was out of the bed and holding the captive doctor in front of her. //Hostage... Nice...// A feral grin spread across her face as the guards and staff became aware of what was happening, "Anybody so much as breathes, and I get to play amateur chiropractor," she warned. 

The guards hesitated a moment before lowing their guns. //Oh hell...// Wedler's thoughts were swamped by panic //They'll shoot me! There's no way they'll let her go... Oh, why me...?//

Max backed cautiously out of the infirmary, taking Wedler with her. She moved rapidly down the corridor, keeping her eyes on the guards who had followed her into the hall. Her senses were on full alert, scanning, searching. She was determined not to let anything stop her from getting out. //For you... Zack... and Logan...//

She quickly pushed the emotional thoughts out of her head, needing to avoid any distractions, "Open the door."

Dr. Wedler made a distinctly un-manly sound as she twisted one of his arms behind his back. Punching the numbers into the key pad, the door slid open and he felt himself being pushed forward again. //Oh pleasepleaseplease... Let me make it out of this alive...//

"Keep moving," Max said gruffly. The instant the door closed behind her, she saw a shadow moving towards her in her peripheral vision. She shoved the doctor towards the shadow and was rewarded when the two collided. Wedler yelped and went down, tangled with the shadow. Max ran down the hallway, halting only when three armed guards stepped out in front of her. //Great...// She dropped down and used a leg-sweep to knock two of them down. The other, she punched in the stomach with full force. He keeled over, groaning.

//Keep moving... Gotta keep moving...// Max hurried past the felled guards, knowing there were others behind her. She was moving on autopilot now, trusting her memory of the place to lead her out. 

An unarmed man in military fatigues appeared in front of her. She barely slowed as she clothes-lined the man, forcing him to the ground. A second later, she felt a hand close around her ankle, and she fell forward. Rolling, Max used her free leg to kick her assailant in the face. //Damn... He's fast... Not good.// She didn't recognize his face, but his strength was much to great for him to be a normal soldier. //Damndamndamn// 

Scrambling to her feet to face the man attacking her, Max managed to block a punch. Returning his attack, she connected with the underside of his jaw. //I don't have time for this!// He seemed momentarily stunned from the blow, and Max wasted no time in taking advantage of the fact, bolting towards the outer doors.

//Just a bit farther... Wait! Behind...// Max flung herself to the ground just in time to avoid a round house kick. Rolling to her feet, she spun around. "Brin!"

"Don't do this, Max..." her sister warned.

"Bite me!" Using some tricks she'd picked up from the streets of Seattle, Max blocked two punches and hooked Brin's ankle with her own, unbalancing the other X5 and sending her to the floor, "Later..." 

Max spun back towards the door and freedom only to find guards armed with tazers. //Oh fuck...// She dodged two of the darts, but three more impacted, sending a massive charge of electricity through her body. //Nonononono... Please...// Collapsing, her body convulsed for a moment before everything went black.

Brin sighed as she collected herself, standing to take charge of the situation, "Escort X5-452 back to the infirmary. See that she doesn't try to... hurt herself again." She cast a disinterested glance at the unconscious body on the floor and turned away.

****** ** *************

  


Warehouse/ Base of Operations

  


Logan pried the last of his spare computer equipment from the box on the floor. After spending most of the day searching for a place to "set up shop," he and Lydecker had gone to inspect the location. The warehouse was significantly smaller than the one they had used previously, but in this case, it might just be an asset. Lydecker had comment that it would be much easier to defend a smaller perimeter. 

//Well, I guess he knows better than I do.// Either way, Logan wasn't going to complain about something so trivial as a few hundred square feet. If there weren't people who still owed Logan favors, he never would have been able to afford such a place. As it was, if things went badly, there was a strong possibility the warehouse might end up as a casualty of the war with Manticore.

He shook his head with a small smile as he recalled the events earlier that day. "This your car?" Lydecker had said as he eyed the Aztec skeptically. "Yeah..." Logan had answered with some trepidation. Lydecker had made a noise that was almost a laugh, "You're a braver man than I thought, Cale."

Even though Logan appreciated the injection of some humor into the rather bleak situation, it was almost surreal to be joking about his car with a man who was his enemy. //My... enemy's enemy, wasn't it?// 

Lydecker had left several hours ago on a "recon" walk, wanting to map out the surrounding territory, leaving Logan to set up the equipment alone. They still had the van the South African tracking team had been using and had brought it to the warehouse as well. Logan was thankful for the solitude. It had been a while since he'd had the time to sort through the powerful emotions that had been coming fast and furious since his anniversary dinner with Max. And that had been six days ago.

He picked up a nearby screwdriver and began setting an auxiliary video card in place. Had it really only been six days ago? To Logan, it felt like an eternity. Waiting, worrying, fearing what might happen to Max... That he might never see her again... 

It had been an incredible shock, though a good one, to find out that Max was actually alive. He would never forget the sensation of holding her in his arms as she died. The pain... All he could do was deny what he thought was the truth... that she was gone. Logan had clung to the possibility that taking her back to Manticore might bring her back. He'd been right, but he hadn't been the one to take her there.

And if he had been the one? If Lydecker hadn't stopped him? Logan had cautiously turned the thought over in his mind, but couldn't find an answer. Though it would have meant he had saved her, it would also mean he had condemned her. Logan wasn't sure he could have dealt with that...

Movement on one of the security monitors caught his attention. Cameras had been conveniently installed around the premises, and Logan had easily hacked into the video feed. //Just Lydecker...//

"So... What do you think?" Logan asked as Lydecker strolled into the warehouse. 

Completing a mental map of the area, he nodded in approval, "It'll do." Lydecker took a seat next to Logan in the van, "The area's relatively secure. Not much activity in the surrounding buildings. It'd be damn near impossible for them to slip in under our guard from here."

"That's good news..."

Lydecker made an affirmative noise. The two lapsed into an awkward silence. Logan kept his eyes directed to his work, not really wanting to be the one to start a conversation.

Lydecker glanced at his watch and tried to relax in his seat. "How did you end up involved with... Max, anyway?" he asked, not as interested in the answer as a distraction from the quiet.

"She... broke into my apartment." //It can't hurt to tell him the truth, can it?//

"Really?" Lydecker smiled crookedly, "I'm surprised she got caught."

"Things were... tense, so I was already on guard..."

"Hmph..." After another significant pause, Lydecker spoke again, "You ever been married, Cale?"

Logan looked up, startled by the question, "Once... It didn't work out though..." he answered slowly, wondering if the conversation had a direction.

"Divorced?"

"Yeah..." Logan turned his gaze back to the objects in his hands. //This is weird...//

"Hmm..." was the only reply as Lydecker seemed to study something interesting on the floor.

//Very weird...// "You?"

"Yes... She... died some time ago."

Logan searched the older man's face, sensing there was something being hidden, "I'm sorry..."

Standing again, Lydecker began to pace, "Things happen... You learn from them."

Taking the other man's obvious discomfort into account, Logan decided to steer the dialogue in a less personal direction, "So what did you do to piss of your bosses so badly?"

"We had a disagreement on internal policies," he said, though his voice had a certain edge to it.

Concentrating once more on the computer parts in his hands, Logan observed, "Must have been pretty serious for her to want you dead."

"Let's just say I had a big problem with her lack of respect for our limited... resources," Lydecker muttered as he glanced at his watch again.

"By resources, I'm assuming you mean Tinga, right?"

"Among other things... Yes."

"Renfro sounds like a real piece of work... Any idea what she's up to?"

"None at all... Apparently, I've been slowly removed from the loop."

"I can't imagine why she'd kill an X5. Especially after the effort you guys put into searching for them. There's got to be a reason there somewhere..." Logan gestured with the screwdriver without looking up.

"I'm sure there is..." Lydecker stopped pacing.

"And why Tinga? Why not one of the X5's that didn't escape? We must be missing some..." A sharp pain exploded at the base of Logan's skull, and he toppled out of his chair. //What the hell...?// The world seemed to spin nauseatingly around him. Blinking in an effort to clear his blurred vision, Logan looked up to see a doubled image of Lydecker standing over him, gun in hand.

With a crooked smile, Lydecker turned to address someone Logan couldn't see, "It's about damn time you showed up, Humphry. I thought you'd be a little more eager to get to meet the infamous Eyes Only."

********** *************

A/N: Wow! Sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. I've been swamped with work. So what's next? What'll happen to Max as Manticore tries to re-indoctrinate her? Has Lydecker betrayed Logan? What about Krit and Syl? Oooh, the suspense! Or so I'd like to think. :) Don't worry, I've got half of the next chapter all ready written, so you shouldn't have to wait long!

  


  


  


  


  


  


  



	7. Solitaire

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter! Hope you like it. I'm trying not to rush things too much, but I don't want to get bogged down either. Oh well... :) I feel like this should have one of those "When last we left our heroes..." sorta tags somewhere... Maybe I've just watched too many old tv shows... ack... rambling... Anyway... Have faith!

By the way, if anybody's feeling bold, they could write the adventures of Krit and Syl as they look for Zane...

  


  


Chapter 7: Solitaire

  


Warehouse/ Base of Operations

  


Logan groaned on the floor, "Lydecker..." he managed to croak. The bastard had turned on him! He knew he shouldn't be surprised, but somehow he'd hoped things wouldn't turn out this way. //Should've known he was up to something. The weird conversation.... He wanted to distract me... Damn it...//

"Took you long enough, Humphry," Lydecker muttered.

The tall, blocky man with a brown buzz cut had a gun trained on Lydecker as he cautiously approached, "What the hell...?" he murmured upon seeing Logan sprawled out on the ground, obviously dazed, "Hands up! And drop the gun!" he ordered. 

Lydecker rolled his eyes and complied, the weapon clattering to the ground as he released his grip. Humphry snatched it up and removed the clip before flinging both away, eyes darting about to catch anything out of place.

"Satisfied?" Lydecker drawled, obviously not afraid.

Poking Logan with the toe of his boot, Humphry glanced at Lydecker, "THIS is Eyes Only? You serious?" A raised eyebrow indicated skepticism.

With an exasperated sigh, Lydecker dropped his hands and moved over to Logan's prone body, plucked his glasses from his face to reveal the crystal blue eyes behind, "What do you think?"

Walking around to see Logan's face better, Humphry squinted in what was actually a rather comical fashion. Logan was feeling dazed enough that he might have laughed if the situation hadn't been so dire. His head felt like Lydecker had driven a spike into it and now, without his glasses, he REALLY couldn't see.

"I'll be damned..." Humphry gave a short bark of a laugh and re-holstered his weapon, "Deck, you might have just saved your sorry ass. I couldn't believe it when I got that note an hour ago. Either you were stupid enough to walk right into our hands or you really had found Eyes Only. You know how bad they want this guy?"

"Why do you think I'm giving him to you?" Lydecker felt as if he were talking to a child. 

Logan's head throbbed, and he was still feeling disoriented. He carefully tried to push himself into a sitting position, but Humphry quickly shoved him back down with a foot on his chest. //Ow...//

"You just stay right there..." He menaced as he dug the cell phone from his jacket pocket, "Damn... You are one lucky son of a bitch, Deck... You just might come out on top after all... and maybe I'll finally get that damn promotion..."

"Renfro's been keeping things tight, I take it."

Humphry groaned, "You have no idea. Mostly, she's been obsessing over the X5 they caught and trying to fry your ass." He looked down to the cell phone and started dialing, "She's gonna be real happy to hear about Eyes, though. Man, was she ever pissed when she saw that broadcast. Caused a lot of trouble from the committee, from what I heard..."

Lydecker smirked, following him with his eyes as Humphry turned his back to him.

"She might even be happy enough to not shoot you when we... What the hell...?" Humphry grumbled as he inspected the phone, "No signal?"

Moving with surprising speed, Lydecker grabbed Humphry's gun from his holster and aimed it at the other man's head.

"What the fu..." Humphry barely had time to react, spinning around to face Lydecker. He seemed totally dumbfounded. 

"You talk too much, Humphry." Lydecker said.

BLAM!

Logan stared in shock as the Manticore agent fell to the ground, very dead. The black cell phone bounced and skittered across the floor. He looked questioningly at Lydecker who responded with a crooked grin.

"Had ya fooled, didn't I?"

"Damn straight!" Logan exclaimed as he worked at getting back to his feet, "Care to tell me what the hell that was that about?" He was angry - no, make that furious. 

Lydecker was all ready searching the dead man's pockets, having tucked the gun away, "Humphry's got the clearance I need to get some files we'll want. Never cared much for him, either..."

"Won't they notice him missing?" 

"No. Humphry's special ops. He was on a deep cover assignment. Contact is only initiated by the operative, not the base and only when necessary. They won't notice he's gone for quite awhile..." he pulled Humphry's wallet and a clearance badge from a hidden pocket in his jacket, "Idiot... Should've kept his head down and just done his damn job instead of playing the glory hound... Surprised he managed to survive this long."

"At least I know why you told me to block the cell phone reception in here... " //Should've known something was up then... You're way off your game, Cale// 

Logan cautiously came over to where Lydecker and the body were. There was a spreading pool of blood coming from the dead man which he wanted to avoid, "By the way... Mind if I have my glasses back? My head hurts like hell and not being able to see isn't helping."

The familiar crooked smile appeared as Lydecker passed the glasses to Logan who quickly put them back on.

"So... What exactly does this clearance and the bump on my head buy us?"

"The chance to get our hands on some information Manticore would love to have. Genetics research that's been on the back burner for a while. Sometimes those people have no idea what's right under their noses..." He stood and turned to Logan, "I made sure to keep this research a secret once I realized they weren't interested in it right away. Figured some day I'd need an ace up my sleeve... With the way things are now, Manticore is going to be desperate to find some way to save themselves. The only way they can do that is if they can come up with something new and potentially... profitable fast. This information will be more than tempting enough for them to bite. We should be able to use it to trade for at least one of our people."

Logan rubbed the back of his head where Lydecker had struck him. He was going to have a lump there... He already had a raging headache. "Looks like your intuition and paranoia paid off... But why didn't you tell me about this beforehand?" he said with no small hint of suspicion in his voice.

Lydecker smiled, "Had to make it look believable. I couldn't be sure how good an actor you are."

"Right..." Logan muttered, "Or maybe you just wanted to keep your options open in case things didn't go the way you planned."

Lydecker hitched a shoulder and smiled enigmatically, "Anything's possible."

  


******* *********

  


Manticore Base - Holding Cell

  


Max carefully sat up on the hard bed. She'd been transferred from the infirmary to a small cell several hours ago. Still feeling the after effects of being hit by the tazer charge, she was groggy and somewhat dizzy. //No... So close...// 

A sadistic little voice inside her head whispered back //Did you really think you'd get away?// Max felt drained. It was true... The chances of her actually escaping on her own were almost nil. But at least she'd tried. It was another way to fight back.

The room was silent, but a small amount of ambient noise trickled in from the outside. She could hear the sound of foot-steps and voices. But mostly she heard the sound of her own heart - Zack's heart...

Max dropped her head into her hands and took a deep, shaky breath. //Oh, God... Zack... Why did you do this to me? Didn't you know how much this would hurt me? I never wanted you to die... not for me!// 

He had always been her big brother, looking out for her and her siblings. Zack had the kind of air of leadership. Even when they were young, they'd all looked to him for direction. She would never have described him as charismatic, not like Logan, but he had such an intensity to his personality. It attracted people to him like moths to a flame... As soldiers, he had become their defacto leader. If they had stayed, Lydecker would have likely made him their commanding officer.

She'd loved him, as she loved all her brothers and sister. He had been a part of what little family she could lay claim to. She'd seen too many of her siblings die, murdered by Manticore when they proved to be too weak. But Zack had always been strong. The thought of him being gone... forever... Max shook her head, still wanting to deny it. 

The lights in the cell were extremely dim, but it didn't effect her much. Excellent night vision was just one of the benefits of feline DNA. The trade off was that she didn't see colors quite as well as most people. It had something to do with rods and cones and sensitivity to light levels and all. Whatever...

Spying a pile of clothing near the door, Max rose to investigate. Picking up the top item, she found it to be black military fatigues - Manticore's uniform. She dropped it in disgust and headed back over to the bed. As if they seriously thought she'd willingly put that on...

Sitting down, Max hugged her knees to her chest. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen next. How would they go about trying to "bring her back to the fold?" Would they use torture? She could handle that. More likely they'd start in on the mind games, trying to break her spirit. Max had no doubt that they would use Zack's sacrifice against her. The thought made her sick. //Bastards...//

It was easy to fight Manticore, but not so easy to fight herself. Guilt. It was gnawing at her already. Zack had KILLED himself to save her life. He had given her his own heart so that she could live... It was an incredible gift, she told herself, and she wouldn't waste it. She would find a way out. She would make it back to Seattle, to her friends... to Logan. They wouldn't win. Not this time, not with her. 

Brin thought she was happy being back, but it was only because she didn't remember what it was like to be free anymore. Max promised herself she wouldn't forget... no matter what. 

//Cling to a single thought...// She could remember someone, it hadn't been Lydecker, telling her how to survive even the worst torture. The man had said that in order to keep from betraying the people who you owed loyalty to, you had to find something that would help you focus, help you remember why you were fighting in the first place. Of course, X5's had been designed to be able to suppress memory's for that very reason. Maybe the best way to remember... would be to forget?

Max shook her head. No... if she didn't remember why she was fighting, she'd end up like Brin, a hollow shell filled with Manticore dogma. Besides, they weren't after information from her. She knew that. All they wanted was to make her into the soldier they thought she was supposed to be.

//Blue eyes...// She could hold on to that. Both Zack and Logan had blue eyes... They were two of the people she was fighting for. She wouldn't forget. She wouldn't surrender. If she was going to hell, she'd take Manticore with her.

The sound of voices drew nearer and someone inserted a key card into the door lock. As the heavy metal swung outwards, the light from the hall came streaming in. Max looked up, her dark eyes shining with determination.

//Whatever it takes...//

****** ********

A/N: 'Kay... so the part with Max was kinda melodramatic. :) But I figured, what the heck? This show seems to thrive on angst and such. Glad you guys are still with me. :) Just so you all know, I actually think Lydecker's character is pretty cool! He's one of the more 3 dimensional on the show, but he sure isn't a NICE guy. :) 

  



	8. One Eyed Jack

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this next piece up. Classes are over for the summer so I should have some actual FREE time! Imagine that... Oh, this chunk counts a lot for the PG-13 rating... By the why, McGinnis is the eyeball guy, in case you missed his name in the finale. (Can I just say that scene creeped me out? Ew...) This chapter might be a bit dull, but the next one should have lots of action and excitement! Or so I hope. :)

*********** ************

  


  


  


Chapter 8: One Eyed Jack

  


Warehouse/ Base of Operations

Two days later

  


"Logan? You in here?" Krit glanced around as he entered the warehouse, followed closely by Zane and Syl.

"Here!" Logan called from inside the van that was parked towards the back. He hurriedly got out, eager to meet the new X5, "Did you have any trouble?"

"Nothing we couldn't handle... Logan Cale, this is our brother, Zane," Syl smiled as she indicated them both in turn.

"Hey, good to have you on our side," Logan shook Zane's hand gratefully, "We're going to need your help."

"I wasn't exactly going to refuse," Zane said with a faint smile, "Zack and Max are my family too..." 

"Looks like your mission was successful," Lydecker leaned against the exterior of the van, inspecting his "troops."

Zane's body visibly tensed, instinct and training struggling for control. He, like his brothers and sisters, had spent ten years running, fearing capture by the man who was now standing in front of him. His training, ingrained into his psyche from childhood, insisted that he respect and obey the very same figure of authority, "Lydecker..."

"It's... been a while," Lydecker lifted his chin ever so slightly, defiant and undoubtedly in command. 

"Not damn long enough," Zane growled in response but backed down. It wasn't the time or place for the confrontation he dreaded and yet longed for. Someday the children would face their maker in combat to put an end to the fear... but not today, "What's the plan?"

"We managed to... acquire some research data Manticore would pay through the nose for," Lydecker moved to stand facing the other four, "I don't have any doubt that we'll be able to trade for at least one of our people."

//OUR people...// Krit's mouth twisted in disdain at the phrase, "Where'd you get this data?"

Logan shot a rather heated glance at Lydecker who shrugged as he spoke, "An inside source. We'll need to chose a drop zone for the exchange. It'd be better to keep them far from here. If something happens, we'll need to have somewhere to retreat to and regroup."

"I think I know of a place that should work. Not much cover so the chances of being ambushed are reduced," Syl said thoughtfully.

"Good. I want a map. Let's leave nothing to chance, people," Lydecker gestured to indicate the impromptu meeting was over, "I've got a phone call to make..."

********* ***********

Warehouse/Manticore base

  


"Its been a while, McGinnis," Lydecker smiled into the phone.

"Lydecker!" the reply was a snarl, "You son of a bitch! You fucking bastard! You've gotta lot of balls calling after what you did to me!"

"You know what they say... All's fair in love and war..."

"Son of a bitch! What do you want?!"

"Simple. My kids."

"Fat chance! Renfro's got everyone after your god damned head!"

"I think you might want to reconsider. I've got something I think you'll want."

There was a tense pause before McGinnis spoke again, "You're working with Eyes Only, aren't you! I don't know how the hell you pulled this off, but it won't save your ass!"

Lydecker leaned back in his seat as he spoke confidently, "I imagine the committee must be getting pretty insistent right about now. I bet you'd really like to have something to show them..."

"What are you up to?"

"Do you remember the data we collected on project Aegis?"

A heartbeat passed before a tentative, "Yes..."

"They were making considerable progress. It was too bad Manticore was focusing on the X series and couldn't spare the funds," A predatory grin stretched Lydecker's lips, "Wouldn't it be nice to have that data now?"

"Bastard!" McGinnis spat, knowing Lydecker had the upper hand, "What are you... proposing...?"

"A trade. Pure and simple. I get my two kids back and you get something that will help keep Manticore's plug from getting pulled.

"You'll never get away with this!"

"I know Renfro keeps you on a short leash, McGinnis, so I'll let you run along to tell her."

"This isn't over! You're living on borrowed time! You can't keep avoiding us forever... Sooner or later your luck is going to run out! You're a dead man, Lydecker! Do you hear me?! A fucking dead man!" he screamed into the receiver.

"Don't call us... We'll call you," Lydecker grinned in satisfaction as he held the phone away, the sounds of McGinnis ranting still audible. He casually turned the phone off and set it on the shelf.

Four sets of eyes watched him critically, waiting, expecting some kind of betrayal. So far they had been disappointed.

"Looks like we wait some more now," Lydecker crossed his arms and let his chin rest against his chest, thinking.

Krit raised his arms above his head, stretching, "It gives us some time to get our heads in the game." He stood and sauntered over to the wooden crates that were serving as tables. Syl and Zane followed shortly after, preferring the presence of family to that of their creator. The three began to speak quietly amongst themselves, happy for the chance to get reacquainted. It had been far to long since they had been able to even speak at length.

Logan watched the siblings, envying for a moment their camaraderie. Being an only child in a family that couldn't respect his passions and motives meant he had never felt that sort of intense kinship. There had been so few people that he could share his dream with... As time went on, the number had steadily decreased as they moved on or died for their convictions. Tragedy seemed to be a part of life for those who fought for freedom.

Krit glanced up from the automatic rifle he was inspecting and noticed Logan's gaze. With a smile, he motioned for the other man to join them. Hesitantly, Logan stood and walked over.

"Take a seat, Logan," Krit patted the crate next to him, "We haven't really gotten the chance to check out our little sister's boyfriend."

"We're not..." Logan started automatically, but caught himself. //Well... We aren't YET... But... What ARE we?// "Uh..." he ran his right hand through his spiky blond hair as a gesture of nervousness, "Well..."

Zane had a big grin on his face, "Speechless, huh? Maxie's always had a way of doing that to people."

"That's an understatement," Logan muttered. It was reassuring that the X5's spoke as if their sister was merely in the next room and not captured by their worst enemy. He wasn't sure if he could deal with the thought that he might never see her again. Especially not now that he knew she was still among the living.

"You're really Eyes Only...?" Zane asked suddenly, his head tipped questioningly to the side.

"Yes... Actually, I am..."

"Damn... I never imagined..." Zane shook his head, "I guess that explains how you knew about us when you gave that heads up a while back."

Logan shrugged with a modest smile.

"Have you introduced Max to your family yet?" Syl was grinning as well, amused by the novelty of such a mundane subject.

"Uh... S-sort of..." Logan stammered a bit, trying to catch up with the rapidly changing topics, "She went with me to my cousin's wedding..."

"Aaaah!" was Syl's response, indicating that the answer had significance, "That serious, huh? How long have you known her?"

"A year... Almost exactly..." Logan's eyes drifted to the floor as he was reminded of their botched anniversary.

"Not bad..." Syl nodded in approval.

"You know, I didn't think I'd ever get to actually have the pleasure of grilling one of my sisters' boyfriends," Krit chuckled, "You're lucky we like you, Logan."

"Wouldn't want to have to chase you off," Zane said with a wicked smile.

"No, I really think I could do without that," Logan was struck by just how bizarre the situation felt. After all the danger and seriousness of the past week, one of the last thing he could have imagined happening was this particular discussion.

"It'll be nice to be together again... if just for a little while," Syl was smiling faintly as she stared at some distant memory.

Her comment had a sobering effect on the three men seated with her. They all knew the risks that they would have to take to rescue the two X5's. The odds were poor, and there was a possibility that they might not survive let alone succeed. The promise of a reunion, however, was enough to fuel their determination. None of them would ever argue that the prize wasn't worth the risks.

******** ***********

  


Manticore Base

Same Day

  


"Lydecker CALLED you?!" Renfro shook her head in disbelief.

"Yes, ma'am..." McGinnis looked distinctly uncomfortable. He disliked being scrutinized by the director. Her sharp eyes scanned his face, taking in every detail of his reaction.

"And he has the data from the Aegis project..."

"Yes, ma'am..."

"Just HOW did he get it, may I ask?" her voice had a biting edge that made McGinnis flinch instinctively.

"I don't know, ma'am..." He hated feeling weak in front of the woman. There was something about the director that let her get under a person's skin, to lay them open like a halved fruit.

"Ah. I... see... So... he wants his... kids back..." Renfro's eyes glittered with cunning. A plan was rapidly formulating behind those eyes, "Maybe we'll give him what he wants..."

McGinnis blinked, "E...excuse me, ma'am?"

She laughed harshly, evidently quite pleased with herself, "Oh, we won't give him BOTH X5's like he wants... Just... one..."

"Ma'am?" Confusion flickered across his face, disappearing behind the mask all Manticore employees were trained to wear.

"Just wait for him to call you back. Agree to any of his terms, but tell him that we'll only give him one X5. Aegis isn't worth two," She instructed. With a wave of her slender hand, she dismissed McGinnis. 

"I think this should work out quite nicely..." Renfro murmured to herself as she picked up the phone on her desk, "Leaman? Get up here... now. We've got some plans to make..." 

  


  


************ **********

A/N: The next two chapters should be lots of fun! At least for me, if no one else. :) Hope you're still enjoying this! And again, a gargantuan thanks to all the great people who've written reviews. It's extremely encouraging, and I really hope I'm living up to your expectations. Next chapter should be up before too long, too!

  



	9. Double or Nothing

A/N: Wow! Two chapters in one day! Don't you guys feel lucky? :) Erm... this might be really choppy, so please hang in there. Like I said before, I don't write a lot of action sequences... 

Oh, just for future reference, I guess I can be classified as a shipper. :) Always been a bit of a romantic. Don't fret too much, though. I'll try to keep the mushy stuff to a minimum. I've never been very good at writing that either. :) Anyway, on with the show!

  


******** ********

  


  


Chapter 9: Double or Nothing

  


Rendezvous Point

Next Day

  


Lydecker watched the approaching black hummers through a pair of binoculars from the driver's seat of the van. The two vehicles produced a cloud of dust in their wake as they sped across the rocky landscape. He heard the faint sounds of the three X5's preparing themselves for the eventuality of a fight. Everything was proceeding according to the instructions he had given McGinnis the day before. Not that it meant they would continue to do so...

"Everything's okay so far," Logan said as he studied the surveillance monitors in the back. Nimble fingers commanded the cameras that fed the screens their information.

"Good... I don't want any surprises," Lydecker set the binoculars aside and exited the van. He was eager to get the exchange over and done with. Delays would only make it easier for Manticore to pull something slippery.

Sliding the van's rear door open, Krit and Syl hopped out to join Lydecker. Zane hunkered down next to Logan, an automatic rifle at the ready. If anything went wrong, he could provide cover for his fellows outside.

"Everyone ready?" Logan asked into the headset's microphone.

"All's go," Syl responded, gently touching the accompanying ear piece she wore. Her other three comrades wore identical equipment, "Looks like we're gonna get this ball rolling..."

The humvees pulled to a halt opposite the van as a tall young man in black fatigues jumped out. Krit and Syl glanced at one another, recognizing him from their years at Manticore.

"Who's this?" Logan looked at Zane who watched the monitor intensely.

"Jared... An X4... I remember him... He trained with us sometimes..."

"This could be bad..." Logan murmured, not liking the turn the situation had taken.

"X4-841," Lydecker seemed relaxed despite the danger. He understood how the minds of his children worked. If he seemed agitated, it would only serve to put them more on edge. 

"Colonel Lydecker, sir," Jared automatically saluted, "Do you have the data?"

With a smirk, Lydecker slowly reached into the pocket of his jacket, "Of course. Do you have X5-599?"

"Yes, sir," Jared glanced over his shoulder at the eight people still in the vehicles. One of them was gagged and blindfolded, steel cuffs and chains binding his feet and hands. All that could really be seen of the person was short, blond hair. Several of the soldiers wore protective head gear that obscured their faces.

"Zack..." Logan zoomed the camera on the roof of the van to focus on the young man.

Two soldiers gripped the blond youth's arms and practically hauled him out and on to his feet, "Satisfied?" Jared asked.

"Extremely," Lydecker produced a set of diskettes and held them out for the X4 to see, "Let's get this over with."

Zane frowned as he watched the bound, blond young man's image, "Something's wrong here..."

"What?" Logan glanced from him to the monitor, "What's wrong?" Just as Lydecker was readying to hand the disks to Jared, he paused as he heard Logan's voice in his ear, "Lydecker, Zane thinks something's fishy... Hold off for a second. Try to stall them..."

"By the way... " Lydecker began.

"That's NOT Zack!" Zane shouted suddenly. As if his voice was the cue, the black clad soldiers sprang into action. Krit tackled Jared, knowing they had to put the X4 out of commission to stand a chance. Lydecker rapidly retreated to the other side of the van, firing several shots at their attackers. With incredible speed, the soldiers leapt into the fray, one of them attempting to pull Krit off of Jared. 

'Zack' deftly removed his cuffs, letting the heavy metal fall to the dusty ground with a thud. Free of his blind fold and gag, Syl got a good look at his face, "Warren?!" 

The young blond man smiled at her, "Good to see you too, sis."

"Fuck!" Zane snarled, "We need to get out of here!"

"No arguments here..." Logan moved for the driver's seat. An instant later, the door was torn from its hinges by Jared who was now free from Krit's frantic assault.

"Well, well. Who do we have here?" the X4 smiled as he grabbed a startled Logan by the front of his shirt and tossed him out to the ground.

"Son of a bitch!" Zane shouted, firing towards the door of the van. Jared dropped to the ground, but not before being struck several times.

Krit hurled one of the nameless soldiers towards the others. He was angry. //They sent WARREN after us! Bastards! I can't believe it! And he's fighting WITH them!//

"Syl... Don't try to fight me. You're only going to get hurt. Why are you working for Lydecker anyway? You HATE him, remember?" Warren circled his sister warily.

"I'm not working FOR him!" She hissed, tracking him with her eyes, "I want my sister and brother back!"

"Brother? You mean Zack..." Warren's eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion, "He's dead, Syl."

"What...?" She stared at him in shock.

"LIAR!" Krit roared as he drove his brother to the ground.

"Krit!" Lydecker barked, still firing at the soldiers who he had belatedly realized were wearing kevlar body armor, "We need to retreat!" He watched helplessly as Zane dove out of the van to help his siblings, "Damn it to hell!"

Logan struggled to get to his feet, still somewhat winded from the impact with the ground. The fact the exoskeleton was protesting the rough treatment it had received wasn't helping. //Why are they having so much trouble with these soldiers? X5's should be able to take them out with no trouble...// Behind him, Jared pulled himself up using a grip on the van's side view mirror. He was bleeding from the bullet wounds inflicted by Zane, but it was hardly a mortal injury. 

"Liar! Liar!" Krit was screaming as he pummeled Warren, "Zack's not dead! You could never kill him!"

"We didn't kill him! He killed himself!" Warren gasped out, attempting to block the powerful blows.

"He'd NEVER do that! You're lying!"

"Krit!" Syl decked one of the stray guards. Another threw something at her which she instinctively moved to deflect with her hand. She cried out as the object punched through her skin, burying itself in her hand. //What WAS that?// Distracted by the pain in her injured hand, Syl had no chance to avoid the tazer dart that struck her in the side a second later. Convulsing she crumpled to the ground.

"Syl!" Krit lunged towards her body, but was stopped by Warren's powerful grip on his leg. The two struggled on the ground, each trying to get the upper hand.

Lydecker searched for an opportunity, something that could turn the tide of the fight. So far he wasn't having any luck... Years of training and a highly developed sense of his surrounds warned him a second before a bullet sped past him that someone was behind him. Throwing himself to the side, Lydecker rolled as he fired two shots. Only one of them found their mark.

The soldier behind him moved with amazing speed and accuracy. Even wounded in the chest, he planted a bullet expertly into Lydecker's gun arm which immediately went numb. A moment later, he gasped the same arm, twisting it until he disarmed him and punched the ex-colonel in the face, driving him to his knees.

"Guess you trained us too well..." The soldier loomed over Lydecker's wounded form.

"Wha...?" Peering up, Lydecker suddenly recognized the soldier. X3-112... Geb if he remembered correctly... One of the only survivors of the X3 series. //Shit... No wonder we couldn't fight them...// He found himself staring down the barrel of a gun. Point-blank. The orders were to kill him on sight, and yet... Geb was just standing there, looking at him.

Lydecker let his eyes drift to the man's face. He knew that face. He'd MADE that face. And that face registered a strange kind of apprehension, as if Geb wasn't quite able to pull the trigger. If he had tried to escape, if he had begged... if Lydecker had done anything other than stay still, Geb would have killed him. As it was, even wounded, Lydecker carried himself with a certain strength, with authority. This was the man who had made him what he was... X3-112 couldn't kill him.

Logan watched in horror as Zane went down under a hail of tazer darts, electricity coursing through his body. //It's all happening too fast... I have to do SOMETHING...// He was reaching for the gun under the driver's seat when Jared struck him in the back. The blow connected with the exoskeleton's battery power supply, driving the metal box against Logan's already fragile spine. He gasped as he collapsed, struggling to breath. //Nononononono.... This ISN'T happening... there has to be something I can do... Oh god... can't.. breath...//

"That's enough!" Jared pulled a gun from his holster and aimed the weapon at Logan's head, "Krit, give it up."

Staggering, exhausted from his battle with Warren, Krit glanced around him. His companions were either unconscious or badly wounded. X3-112 was forcing Lydecker to his feet and pushing him towards where the others were. Three of the Manticore soldiers lay dead, either from broken necks or well placed bullets. //At least we took a few of them with us...// Krit let his hands fall to his sides, grudgingly admitting defeat.

"Damn... You put up one hell of a fight," Jared said with a smile, his weapon still pointing at Logan's head, "I didn't expect there to be THREE of you."

Krit glowered at him, "You bastards... It's not enough to get your hands on us, you have to screw with us too?"

"Zack IS dead..." Warren said quietly, "He killed himself for Max..."

"You... You're lying..." Krit's voice shook slightly, his fear rising. He knew how much Zack cared about Max. He knew how long and hard Zack had searched for her after the escape. Could it be true...?

"Max needed a new heart," Warren let the pain he shared with his brother show for once, "Zack gave her his..."

"No..." Krit breathed, "NO!" He lunged at Warren, unable to contain his rage, but was brought down by the remaining soldiers before he could get that far. "NO!" he howled, frustrated, angry, and also frightened. 

Logan lay on his stomach, eyes wide as he watched them chain and bind the struggling X5. //Zack... is dead?// True, there had been no love lost between he and Max's overprotective older brother, but he had never really wanted... He squeezed his eyes shut. //This is a dream... Let this be a dream...//

"Damn it..." Lydecker muttered, cradling his wounded arm against his chest. He reluctantly allowed himself to be shoved into the second hummer along with Krit and Logan. The unconscious X5's were dragged to the other vehicle, having been also chained up. //Not taking any chances...// As the two humvees peeled out, he watched over his shoulder as two of the remaining soldiers climbed into the van, following soon after.

//Hell...// How had this happened? Lydecker leaned his head back and closed his tired eyes. He'd been prepared for this... But everything went so wrong. He should have known that something was amiss when he saw how complacent 'Zack' was as they dragged him out of the hummer. Maybe he was losing his edge... 

A cold lump began to gather in his chest. This was it. It was all over. Years of sacrifice, of setbacks and triumphs, all for nothing. All the things he had ever done were wasted. Lydecker had thought he had prepared himself for death a long time ago, but he could still feel it... fear. He didn't want to die. He wasn't READY to die. There was so much left to do... But here he was, facing the end.

Lydecker would never call himself a sentimental man. A good soldier avoided such things. But there were a few memories he allowed himself to cherish, if just a little... His first kiss, his wedding day... Those funny little moments that somehow stuck with you and bubbled to the surface in times of crisis to remind you of what you were fighting for. Strange how hard he had fought those feelings after his wife's death... murder he corrected himself. Not that it mattered now.

He'd been lost after Anne had died. Alcohol had become his closest companion. Lydecker hadn't been a fool, like many who turned to drink. He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew that the liquid couldn't erase his problems and that it only caused more. It had gotten him kicked out of the military, his only other foothold in sanity. But it had let him forget, if only for a short time. And he hadn't really wanted anything else then.

Manticore was his saving grace. He had been give the chance to do something incredible. Lydecker knew what made a good soldier, the ultimate warrior, and he knew he could create them. And he had. Watching his kids grow had been what kept him going at times. There had been plenty of failures along the way, but that was par for the course. It had never really bothered him when he had to destroy the defects, though. The perfect soldier could afford no weakness... 

No weakness... His children were his weakness... Not that he ever claimed to be a 'perfect soldier...'

The sound of squealing tires assaulted his ears and his eyes flew open as he was jolted out of his seat. The hummer swerved as a camouflaged truck appeared in front of it.

//What the hell is this?// Lydecker felt the cool metal of a pistol muzzle pressing against his neck.

"Don't move," Geb warned.

Logan and Lydecker exchanged glances, neither sure what was happening.

"What...?" The driver of the hummer was suddenly pulled from his seat. Guards in camo flooded out of the truck, briefly battling with the Manticore soldiers.

Someone grabbed Geb from behind, disarming him with a quick twist to his wrist. The X3 yelped in surprise and pain and he was tossed backwards.

Lydecker looked at Logan again who shook his head. 

//Who are these guys? How can they be strong enough...// Lydecker looked up into the face of a tall guard who was standing next to the vehicle, "Colonel Lydecker, I presume?" Lydecker didn't answer, but was plucked from the seat and set on the ground. Krit ended up being dumped on the ground as he fought with another soldier who was trying to move him. An instant later, Logan was set next to him but promptly collapsed, the exoskeleton no longer operating. The guard blinked in surprise.

"He can't walk, you idiot," Lydecker snarled, hating the confusion and lack of control he was presently experiencing.

"That's no way to talk to the people who just save your ass, Don."

Lydecker spun to confront the speaker. His eyes widened with shock and his jaw went slack. "Philip!" he choked out. Logan decided he would have to remember the expression for later when he needed something amusing to cheer him up...

A lean man wearing the same camo as the guards leaned against the side of the mysterious truck, arms crossed and a gun in hand. Mousy brown hair was peppered with silvery strands and dark eyes sparkled with humor, "Glad to see you too. Oh... pick that poor kid up," Motioning with his chin, he indicated Logan. Someone promptly complied.

Lydecker took a moment to look around. All of the Manticore soldiers were lying on the ground, some covered in blood. He spotted Warren, Geb and Jared being dragged towards the truck. Syl and Zane, however, were no where to be seen...

One of the guards ran up to the man, "Sir, two of them escaped. They overpowered us."

Looking pointedly at Lydecker, Philip smiled, "Two of yours?"

"What the fuck is going on here?!" Lydecker snarled.

"What? You're not happy to see me again, Don?" Philip feigned injury.

"The last time I saw you, you were trying to put a BULLET in my head!" Lydecker spat furiously.

"Just following orders, Don," Philip smirked, "Just like I am now." He suddenly fired a shot at Lydecker who numbly glanced down at himself. A tranquilizer dart protruded from his abdomen. 

//Shit...// Looking up again, Lydecker frowned, "What are you...?" Sliding to his knees, he struggled against the effects of the drug. A moment later, Lydecker ended up on his face, unconscious.

"Well, this has been an eventful day, hasn't it?" Philip smiled at Logan's stunned expression. "Your turn, kid." He aimed the dart gun at him and fired. Logan dimly heard Philip speak as he slid into darkness, "Nothing personal, right?" 

******** **********

  


A/N: Phew... How was that? Not too confusing I hope. It was a lot to get out. I may end up revising this chapter at some point. I think there may have been too much going on.

So what's next? Just who are these mysterious new people and what do they have planned for our crew? How does Lydecker know Philip? Where have Zane and Syl gone? Let's not forget about Manticore and Max! Ah... so many questions! 

Stay tuned for Chapter 10! It might be a little while, though. Real life intervenes sometimes. :) 

  


  


  



	10. Poker Faces

A/N: Yeesh... 10 chapters all ready? Wow... I've never written anything this long before... Well, besides term papers... and they weren't much fun. :) There's probably another four or so chapters left in this too... likely more at this rate. Hope you guys aren't getting too bored. Thanks for all the encouragement too! You guys are all great! With that said... On with the show!

  


***************** ********************

  


  


Chapter 10: Poker Faces

  


Unknown Location: Infirmary

  


//Where am I? What the hell happened? Why can't I see anything - Am I blind? No... I just have my eyes closed. Why does my head feel so fuzzy...? Maybe I should look...// Logan cautiously raised an eyelid but snapped it closed again when a piercing white light sent shooting pains through his head. //Ow...//

"Ah... Look who's among the waking..." a voice said, "Maybe you'd like me to dim the lights?"

"Yes, please..."

"The tranquilizer tends to cause some rather nasty headaches when it wears off... There. That should be more tolerable."

Logan opened first one eye and then the other, relieved to find the light level to be much lower than it had been. He slowly pushed himself up till he was sitting and glanced around quickly. He spotted Lydecker on a hospital bed to his right, still unconscious. Someone had dressed the wounded shoulder and bound it to his side in a sling and there was an dark, angry bruise that ran across the left side of his face. //Well, at least he's not dead... Not that I'd really mind at this point...//

"How're you feeling?" A man in his early fifties stood nearby dressed in the typical white coat of a doctor. 

//Probably a military doctor.// Logan's beleaguered brain managed to take in the details of the doctor's stance and bearing, "That depends... For someone who was beat up and drugged, I guess not too bad."

The man laughed, "At least you have a sense of humor. Good thing in your position."

"Exactly what IS my position..."Logan's eyes caught the identification badge clipped to the man's coat, "Dr. Carlis?"

The doctor smiled but shook his head, "That's not for me to say. In here, you're my patient. But I really doubt that status will last long..."

A rattling sound followed by an almost inhuman growl attracted the attention of both men. Krit was struggling violently with his bonds, trying to push away the doctor and the guards who surrounded him. Logan frowned at the sight. It didn't surprise him that the X5 was reacting so poorly to being chained up - especially in an infirmary. Manticore's medical facilities had not been kind to its creations.

"Feisty one, isn't he?" Logan's head turned to see the new speaker. It was the man Lydecker had seemed to know... Philip. Dr. Carlis beat a hasty retreat after receiving a look from Philip.

"What did you expect?" Logan grated, quite sure that this was the man in charge of the operation, "You've got him chained up like an animal. I doubt you'd be too thrilled with that kind of treatment either."

Philip cracked a wry smile, "No, I don't think I would... But in this case, I'd rather not have HIM running around loose," he shrugged, "My insurance wouldn't cover it."

"Just where the hell are we?"

"Well... You don't waste time getting to the point, do you, Mr. Cale?" Surprise and a bit of fear flickered behind Logan's glasses. With another smile, Philip handed him one of the folders he had been holding, "I believe this is yours."

Leafing rapidly through the pages, Logan realized the file contained detailed biographical information... on HIM. A copy of his birth certificate, records of education, news clippings on his parents, the shooting that had crippled him... His life was neatly packaged into a tabbed file. Everything was there... except, of course, Eyes Only. //Thank God for that...// "You're thorough..."

"Always pays to know the people you're working with." Philip shrugged.

Logan's blue eyes narrowed, "Working with? I'd hardly count this as as working with someone. More like holding captive."

"Oh, come now... You're not a prisoner..."

"So... what? I'm a guest with limited privileges?"

Philip gave a snort of laughter, "Something like that, yes. By the way... That's a damn interesting contraption you've got there..." He tapped one of Logan's legs. 

Panic hit like a hammer, and Logan reached out to touch his leg. Beneath the fabric of his trousers he felt the hard edges of the exoskeleton and relaxed visibly. //At least they didn't take it... Not that it's doing me any good. Jared must have damaged the battery when he hit me...// 

Philip tipped his head to the side, watching Logan's movements, "I think it's broken. But most likely this is the problem..." He pulled the battery pack from his pocket. The casing sported a massive dent and a large crack ran down the side. The blow had practically crushed it.

Logan closed his eyes and took a deep breath to ward off any more frustration or fear. He certainly wouldn't be walking now... At least Sebastian had given him the spare battery. He had a big thank you card coming if Logan survived this. "What do you want with us?" Logan steeled himself for the answer.

"It's actually quite simple... But I'll wait till Don pulls himself together in a moment to explain..." Philip watched with obvious amusement over Lydecker's predicament.

Lydecker let out a hiss of pain as he tried to work himself into a sitting position. His eyes didn't seem to want to focus and all the bruises were really starting to hurt. Not to mention the shoulder... He glowered at Philip, "Son of a bitch... What have you got up your sleeve now? Who're you working for? You're obviously following somebody's orders... Never were smart enough to work on your own..." 

Philip's cheek twitched in response to the insult. Logan sensed that there was some previous history to the comment, "Well, Don," Philip said with a biting tone, "Maybe you should be a little more appreciative. I DID save you. I'd hate to think just what Manticore was going to do with you when they got you home."

"Cut the crap, Philip. We know each other too well for that. Just tell us what you want." Lydecker's eyes glittered with animosity.

"Always so impatient... If you must know, I'm working for our government. Unlike some of us here, I didn't get booted because I couldn't control my drinking."

The remark hit home just as it was meant to, and Lydecker looked as though he was contemplating what method would be the most painful to shut the man up, "Bastard..."

"You're FBI?" Logan guessed, not wanting the situation to escalate into something more dangerous than it all ready was.

"Not quite," Philip smirked.

"CIA," Lydecker said flatly, "Military intelligence consultant."

"Ooh, you're still pretty damn sharp, Don." Philip shook his head with a smile.

"CIA? Since when are you guys allowed to even operate in this country?" Logan eyed the man suspiciously.

"A lot of things changed because of the pulse, kid," Philip crossed his arms over his chest, "We've got enough internal problems to deal with as it is. No sense wasting good resources on some other country, right?"

Logan wasn't convinced but pushed the conversation along. "What do you want with us?" he asked again.

"Cooperation. Its as easy as that," Philip hitched a shoulder, "Manticore's started to become a problem for us, and I've been sent in to eliminate it."

Lydecker stiffened, his jaw clenched, "What? Since when has Manticore interfered with government business? We've always been sure to steer clear..."

"Correction... YOU'VE always been sure to steer clear," Philip said, "The people who want your head, on the other hand, haven't. They might not realize it, but their experimental creations have already jeopardized several extremely sensitive missions. Manticore's gone too far with their little projects. As long as they were deployed only outside the US, it was one thing, but now they're running amok inside our borders. Washington is, needless to say, not pleased."

"This is ridiculous!" Lydecker huffed, "Manticore is a private enterprise. You can't just run in there and tear the place up!"

"You'd be surprised what I can do with the right authorization, Don. Besides, what do you care?" Philip cocked an eyebrow, "Why would you want to protect the people who want you dead?"

"I don't want to protect THEM," he snarled.

"Ah... You're worried about your... experiments."

"My KIDS," Lydecker emphasized. 

"I hate to break it to you, Don, but they've got to go too. We have orders to destroy all of Manticore's resources."

"What?! Why?!" Logan jumped into the discussion, "Most of them really are just kids! It's not their fault..."

"Mr. Cale, I don't expect a civilian to understand," Philip said, exasperated, "With the state the current infrastructure of the US is in, we can't afford to allow a private conglomerate access to such advanced military hardware."

"Hardware?! They're people, for God's sake!" Logan shouted, "How can you justify killing CHILDREN?!"

"I don't have to justify anything," Philip stared at him levelly.

"Oh, I forgot... You're just following orders. That's different," Logan said acidly.

"Cale," Lydecker shot Logan a sharp glance to quiet him before turning back to Philip, "You don't have to destroy the X series. They're trained soldiers. If you can take out Manticore's administration, they'd be yours."

"I have orders, Don."

Lydecker licked his lips nervously, searching for a way to reason with the man, "Look, you obviously have access to some genetically engineered staff yourself. I saw how your guards took out my kids. But... Manticore has made a lot of advancements... They could be very useful to you. I can help you get in..."

"I'm not so sure as I'm going to want your help," Philip said frankly, "You've made it clear where your loyalties lie."

"Even with a fully equipped army, you're going to have a hell of a time getting in," Lydecker leaned forward on the bed, "Like I said, the X series are all trained as soldiers. By now, they'll have recalled a good number of them from their other assignments to protect the base... Without my help, they'll tear you apart."

Philip frowned, studying his former comrade, "The explosion... That was you..."

"Yes..."

"You realize you made our job a hell of a lot harder. You put them on alert..."

Lydecker didn't respond, instead trying to gage Philip's mind set.

"You really think we can't get in there..."

"Not with what you've got here," Lydecker's quick mind seized on Philip's doubt,"Talk to your superiors. I'll give you Manticore if you don't destroy my kids. Otherwise, you won't stand a chance. Just a handful of them could take out an entire army. I've seen them do it. I TRAINED them to do it."

Philip sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "You're a fast talker, Don. I think I might just believe what you say those kids can do," he nodded in the direction of Krit who had been motionless and watching them the whole time, "I saw what just one of them can do. Even cuffed, he nearly killed two of my best men. And the two that got away..." He paused for a moment before turning towards the door, "All right... I'll talk with command..." Philip spun back to face Lydecker, "No promises, of course... But I know you well enough..."

Lydecker nodded slowly and Philip stepped out into the hall.

//Shit... This is bad...//

Logan stared at Lydecker, "Start talking. Who the hell is he and how do you know him?"

Lydecker lay back down, covering his eyes with his uninjured arm, "Philip Roarche. He was a captain when I knew him. We fought together... Things went bad; ended up being a mess... Philip was told to 'clean-up'..."

"That was just a bit too brief for me... Care to elaborate?"

Lydecker rubbed his eyes tiredly and then turned his head to look at Logan, "Yes, actually, I would. You forget that the walls have ears."

Logan glanced around, spotting several security cameras partially burrowed into the walls, "And eyes... Damn it... What are we going to do?"

"It's not our ball anymore, son," Lydecker sighed, feeling defeated, "Right now we just have to wait..." 

//I hate waiting...//

******** ***********

  


Manticore Base

  


  


//I hate waiting...//

Max sat silently in the small interrogation room. She had been strapped into a chair nearly half-an-hour ago. At least four security cameras were stuck in the corners near the ceiling. A television monitor was embedded into the wall directly in front of her, and she had been staring at it for lack of anything better to do. So far it was just dark.

She casually tested the restraints for the sixth time. No good. It would take a concerted effort and some time to break them. By then, security would have spotted the attempt from the camera feeds.

//Damn.//

It was all a game. They expected her to sit there thinking of all the nasty things that they would do to her. The intent was to let her drive herself crazy. It would save them a hell of a lot of time and effort. Mind games...

//Like they didn't teach ME all of this stuff...//

The door swung open suddenly as Renfro strode into the room. Max spotted two armed guards flanking the entrance but no one else dared to come in.

"I hope you've been sleeping well," Renfro said with a too sweet smile, "You're going to need your strength to get back into your training."

"Fuck you!" Max spat.

"Now, now... You've been away for a long time... There's so much for you to catch up on. Don't worry, though," she purred, "We're here to help you."

"Help me? That's almost funny."

"You're part of the Manticore family, X5-452..."

"I'm MAX!" she cut in.

"You THINK you're Max. But now its time to stop pretending and to come back home..." Renfro tapped the screen on the wall with her forefinger, "I have something to show you..." The monitor flickered to life, static quickly turning into an image. "Something to remind you of what family is all about."

Max frown at the screen. It was a down-shot of the infirmary. She saw herself laying on an operating table, doctors in surgical garb frantically working over her body. Off to the side, someone wheeled in a cart with Zack strapped down to it. There was bright blood where he had been shot in the shoulder.

//Zack... No...//

She immediately knew what it was - a surveillance tape of when she had been brought in after being shot.

"Why are you showing me THIS?" Max tried to clamp down on the uneasy feeling that was rising in the pit of her stomach.

Renfro didn't answer.

She heard her brother calling her name, wanting to know she was all right.

_"Max!"_

_The doctor, Wedler she thought, shook his head in defeat. Renfro on the tape sighed and told them to prepare her body for harvesting. Moving so fast, his image was a blur, Zack broke his restraints and clocked a guard. With the gun he had grabbed, he threatened the doctor._

_"Bring her back!"_

_Wedler babbled about her left ventricle having collapsed and her heart being beyond repair._

"This is supposed to mean something?" Max said, not quite hiding the mounting fear.

_"Then transplant her!" No spare hearts the doctors informed him._

Renfro smiled humorlessly as she slipped out past the door, leaving Max to stare at the screen in horror... alone.

_Zack pulled Renfro towards him,setting the muzzle of the gun_ _against her temple, "I've got a donor for you then."_

"Zack... Stop..." Max moaned. //Blue eyes... remember blue eyes...//

_"She's an X5... She needs an X5 heart."_

//Blue eyes... filled with compassion...//

_Zack hesitates, looking at her body on the table._

//Blue eyes... filled with strength...//

_He violently shoves Renfro away from him._

//Blue eyes...// "No..."

_"X5-599 has a heart for you..."_

//Blue eyes... empty...// "No! Zack!"

_BLAM!_

Max flinched at the sound of the gunshot, her slender frame shaking as she tried to hold back the tears, "No... NO!... No..." She couldn't cry. Not here. They'd use it against her. She couldn't let them use Zack like that. She had to be strong or they would break her... break her like they did Brin...

The screen went dark for a moment and then the tape began to play again.

Renfro was now watching Max on the security monitor in her office, smiling still.

_"Max!"_

_"Bring her back!"_

_"She needs an X5 heart..."_

_"X5-599 has a heart for you..."_

Max choked, pulling desperately at the restraints as the scene started over again, "Stop it! That's enough!" Again, the tape began to replay. Why? Why did they have to choose this way? She knew she couldn't let it get to her... 

_"Then transplant her!"_

"I said stop!" Max cried to the empty room, knowing that her captors were listening somewhere, just out of reach. If only she could wrap her fingers around that woman's throat... 

_"She's an X5... She needs an X5 heart..."_

"Please! Please..." She moaned, squeezing her eyes shut. Though the picture was blocked, she could still hear the sounds, still hear Zack's determined voice as he made his choice.

_"X5-599 has a heart for you..."_

  


Sgt. Leaman glanced at Renfro who was totally engrossed in the young girl's reaction, "You edited the tapes..."

"Yes," came the distracted reply.

"I guess I don't need to ask why."

"No. You don't."

  


"Please... Zack... Don't go..." Max whispered, unable to stop herself, "Don't leave me..."

_BLAM!_

Max curled up as best she could in the chair, twisting her wrists in a vain attempt to free herself. All she wanted was to cover her ears, to make the voices stop. She didn't want to hear her brother dying over and over...

_"X5-599 has a heart for you..."_

He'd dedicated his life to protecting his brothers and sisters, to keeping them free. Out of all of them, Zack had been the one who cherished their new found freedom the most. Because of that, he had been willing to do anything to make sure his siblings got to enjoy it.

This hadn't been the first sacrifice he'd made for her. She'd never forget the look on his face when Lydecker and his goons were dragging him away. He'd confessed to a crime for her sake - because she wouldn't leave Seattle. If she hadn't been so stubborn. If she had listened to him...

//All my fault... Could have saved him...//

Her resolve caved under the pressure of the mounting guilt, and she began to sob violently. His heart... His heart... For her... He'd died because she wasn't fast enough, wasn't strong enough. He died because she made a mistake and hadn't been able to fight the X7. If only she hadn't been so slow. If only... If only... 

//My fault... All my fault...//

  


  


Renfro touched the image gently on the security monitor, "Welcome home, X5-452... Welcome home..."

********** ***********

  


A/N: How was that? Dramatic enough? Too much? Want more? I suppose it doesn't matter now... I don't know that I could just leave this unfinished. I think it'd drive me crazy! Even so, I'd like to think I managed to entertain a couple of people. :) 

As for the CIA stuff, bare with me, if you will. I've been wondering what happened to all the government agencies and things since the pulse. I can't see them just going away. I figure they're probably hanging on over in the East Coast for the most part. Washington, D.C. is probably still a pretty happenin' place. But anyway, I thought they'd be fun to drag in and toss into the mix. Any body have some thoughts on the subject? I'd love to hear other people's opinions. Feel free to even email me if you like! (madartiste@yahoo.com)

  



	11. Power Play

  


A/N: Not much to say this time around. :) Hope you're still enjoying this.

  


  


  


*********** ***********

Chapter 11: Power Play

  


Outside Military Base (Unknown Location): Perimeter

6:42 PM

  


"So how we gonna do this?" Syl asked as she crouched down behind the tall weeds at the outskirts of the base. They hadn't been spotted by the guards, who all seemed to stay quite close to the building. Technically, they weren't even trespassing... yet.

"I'm not sure... This is going to be tough. We don't know where in the base they are..." Zane was studying the hand drawn map he had made of the compound's layout, "The security seems pretty light. Looks like the base is only meant for temporary use... And they don't seem to be expecting any trouble... Which is good for us."

Syl chewed her lip thoughtfully, "The explosives we snagged should make a good distraction, but after that..."

"Yeah, I know..." Zane sighed and folded the map up, "We don't know what's on the inside... I think we might be able to take out the building's transformer - disrupt their power supply..."

"What if they've got back up generators?"

"I doubt they'll do much more than supply the emergency lighting... and maybe the surveillance system..."

"That'd suck..." 

"No kidding..." Zane rubbed his jaw, "With all the corners they've cut everywhere else, I really don't think the generators would be hooked up to security... Like I said, they don't seem to be expecting any trouble."

"Especially not OUR kind of trouble," Syl said with a grin.

Zane couldn't help but laugh, "So true, little sister..."

"Well... We know how we're getting in... What do we do once we're there? Do we split up to search?"

"It'd be faster that way... but more dangerous. We don't have any way to communicate," Zane sat back on his heels, "No... I think we'd better stick together."

"When we get out... We should head to the vehicle storage... They've got our van and equipment in there..."

"Good idea..."

"Zane...?"

"Yeah...?"

"Do you think its true?"

Zane was silent.

"Do you think he could be...?"

"No. He's not. He can't be. We have to believe that."

"Okay..." Syl forlornly watched the sun as it began to descend behind the hills at the far side of the base. 

"Don't worry, sis... We'll get them back... All of them."

"It'll be nice to be a family again..."

  


  


************** **********

Unknown Location: Infirmary

8:23 PM

  


"I believe this belongs to you."

Logan looked up, not expecting someone to be speaking to him. He recognized the young man who had so effortlessly disarmed Geb the day before. In his extended hand was perhaps one of the most welcome sights Logan had seen in a very long time - his spare battery pack.

//Sebastian, I owe you one... or another one rather...//

Gingerly accepting it, Logan eyed the guard, "Where'd you get this?"

He shrugged, "Your van. At least, we've assumed it was yours since none of the equipment is standard. That's quite a set up you've got in there."

Reaching behind him, Logan carefully set the new battery in place, feeling for the mechanism that locked it in place. It went in with a satisfying click. Logan pressed the power switch and listened to the faint whine of the servos warming up. He gently bent his right leg as a test.

//Thank God... At least something's working right.//

"Satisfactory?"

"Yeah..." Logan looked him up and down for a moment, "Do you mind if I ask your name... It's comforting to know who you're talking to."

"Lt. Moris, at your service... so to speak." he said with a smile.

"I'd tell you mine, but somehow I get the feeling you've already been briefed," Logan glanced over at the bed that Lydecker had vacated several hours ago, being towed off by several soldiers, "Am I allowed to ask what's going on, or is it one of those 'need to know' deals?"

The young soldier smiled again, "Colonel Lydecker and Captain Roarche are discussing... strategies. You don't have anything to worry about. You should relax."

//Yeah... Easy for you to say...//

Logan shifted his weight a bit and slid carefully forward till his feet touched the floor, "Is it all right if I chat with my friend?" He pointed to Krit who had been very still since overhearing the previous talk with Roarche.

"Not at all..." Moris stepped politely out of the way as Logan headed past him.

"Hey, Krit... You holding up okay?"

"'Bout as well as can be expected," the X5 favored him with a wan smile, "Are you okay? You're walking a little stiff there..."

Logan chuckled but quickly wished he hadn't. The bruises he had received from being tossed out of the van and struck by Jared were complaining... loudly, "Yeah, I'm fine. I've had worse."

"I'll bet..." Krit looked away, staring at the ceiling for a moment, "Do you think... Do you think that Warren was telling the truth?"

Logan wracked his brain for something comforting to say but came up empty-handed. Instead he just remained silent, which was nearly as bad as if he had confirmed it.

"Zack can't be dead," Krit swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat, "He's too tough for that. They'd never..." His words trailed off as the lump took over again.

"You're right... Zack is tough," Logan put emphasis on the present tense, "They were probably just trying to shake you."

Krit studied Logan's face carefully, looking for any sign that his words were not one with his thoughts, "They told the truth about Max..."

"They tell the truth only when if they can benefit from it," Logan said firmly, "We both know that."

"But Warren... He's one of us..." 

Logan began to feel uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny of the young man. It was as if Krit thought HE knew what the truth was and just wasn't sharing it, as if he was hiding something from him, "I know..."

"He might... he might have done it... for Max. He always takes care of us. He'd do anything..." the X5 turned back to studying the ceiling tiles, "He's always been 'big brother'..."

"I know..." //What else can I say...?// Logan cleared his throat and made a decision to change the subject, "Zane and Syl are still okay, though."

"Yeah..."

Running a hand through his blond hair, Logan grimaced. This was not going well. The last thing they need was a despondent X5. How was he supposed to deal with this? He had only as much information as Krit did. 

Something inside him, though, whispered that it was probably true. Logan had seen how Zack looked at Max. There was definitely more there than the usual 'brotherly' affection. He had never liked Zack much. He found the young man abrasive and overbearing. Logan supposed that he couldn't really blame Zack for his personality problems, though... Having been trained as a soldier from birth couldn't have done much for his social skills. And Logan also knew that Zack would do anything to protect Max...

The sound of a distant explosion drew Logan's attention as the lights flickered and went out. He could hear the sound of the guards' confused voices as the dim emergency lighting came on a moment later. 

//Damn... I hope this is what I think it is...// Logan glanced down at Krit who was suddenly very alert, eyes scanning the room.

"Please come with me, Mr. Cale..." Lt. Moris took Logan's arm to steer him out the door.

"Hey wait!" Logan protested, "What about him?" He looked back at Krit who was watching them.

"Don't worry, Mr. Cale. Everything will be taken care of," Moris applied more force to Logan's arm, nearly dragging him now.

"Like I'm supposed to trust you?" Logan pulled back.

Irritation crossed the man's face, "Just do as you're told, Mr. Cale." 

Being rapidly and involuntarily propelled towards the door, Logan cast another glance at Krit who was now surrounded by guards and being hauled to his feet. Krit had an odd smile on his face and winked at Logan.

//What the hell is he...?//

With an effortless flick of the wrist, Krit smashed the back of his hand into one of the guard's faces, knocking the man out cold. The others quickly tried to restrain him, but didn't seem to be fairing well. Moving faster than the eye could see, Krit dropped all of the remaining guards. 

By now Moris had noticed what was happening and thrust Logan off to the side, "Stay here if you want to keep breathing," he warned as he ran towards the X5. The lieutenant aimed a blow for Krit's mid-section but missed when Krit threw himself to the side. The two struggled for a moment before Moris managed to get the X5 in a choke hold. 

Logan watched until it was clear that Krit was at a severe disadvantage from his bonds. Desperately scanning the room, Logan spotted a gun that one of the unconscious guards had dropped. //How convenient...// He snatched it up and aimed for Moris's leg. 

"Argh!" Moris gave a strangled cry as the bullet tore into his knee, and he fell to the floor. Krit wasted no time in disabling the distracted soldier with a quick blow to the head. 

He glanced up at Logan and grinned, "Nice shot."

"Thanks... Now let's get the hell out of here..." Logan spun towards the door followed swiftly by Krit. He paused and scanned the dimly lit corridor before choosing a direction, "We need to find Lydecker..."

"Hang on a sec..." Krit paused and bent down. Taking the chain that linked the ankle cuffs together in both hands, he struggled for a moment before one of the links gave way, "That's better... Let's go."

"I wish I knew where the hell we were going," Logan muttered as they sped down the empty hallway.

"You and me both..."

Logan rounded the corner and came to a full halt. Krit, who was directly behind him, only barely avoided a collision, "What are you...? Syl!" His face practically lit up with a broad smile, "Zane! I knew it was you guys!"

"Hey... Small world!" Zane said, "This was easier than I thought it would be."

Syl was helping Lydecker up from the floor where six guards were sprawled out. He grunted and waved her away with his good hand as he stood. Moving over to one of the bodies, Lydecker bent down to retrieve a gun from the soldier's holster. //Never waste an opportunity...// 

"As much as I love family reunions, we need to haul out of here," Zane motioned for Krit and Logan to follow as he started down the other direction, "The garage is this way... Let's nab us some transportation..."

"What about the guards?" Logan asked as he ran after the X5.

"They're busy trying to fight an electrical fire," Syl said with a very unrepentant smile.

"Nice..."

Zane paused at one of the fire doors that had automatically closed when the emergency power had come on. He quickly punched the access code he had seen a guard use at another check point into the key pad before continuing through the now open doors, "These things are a pain, but at least they put them in more than one place..."

"Any idea how far?" Lydecker asked.

"Not too far... We have to pass through the confinement cells here and we should be..."

"Zane?"

He slid to a stop and turned towards the voice, "Warren?"

Peering through the tiny hole in the cell door, Warren smiled faintly, "Hey... Didn't think I'd see you again, brother."

Zane hesitated, "Do you wanna come with us?"

Logan frowned, "Are you sure that's a good idea...?"

Syl sighed, "He's family... We can't just leave him here."

"You know I won't help you," Warren said flatly.

Lydecker rolled his eyes, disgusted with the delay, "Look, Roarche is here to destroy Manticore. He'll kill every last one of the X series if he has his way. If you want any part of Manticore to survive, we're the only chance." Warren's face was unreadable as he considered his options. "We don't have time to stand around here. Make your choice," Lydecker ordered.

"Not much of a choice..." Warren grumbled, "Can you get this thing open?"

Krit grinned, "I knew you'd come around."

"Right..." Syl studied the door lock for a moment, "I think I can handle this." Using the palm of her hand to smash open the box that housed the key pad, Syl rapidly tore out some of the wiring. Her deft hands manipulated the wires until there was a definitive click, "They just don't make 'em like they used to," she quipped.

"Let's go... NOW," Lydecker insisted.

"All clear," Logan called from the end of the corridor where he was standing in the door way.

"There's our van!" Syl ran towards the vehicle and looked around inside, "Awe, great... They've pretty much taken everything apart..."

"Anything we can salvage?" Logan asked as he came up beside her.

"Looks like the headsets are still here..." She picked up the small ear pieces from the shelf and put them in her pocket, "Not much else..."

Logan rummaged for a moment before hopping back out of the van, "I think this is pretty much it..." 

"Well, if there's nothing left in there, let's get some better wheels," Zane was inspecting a camouflaged jeep, "Looks like armored plating... Sweet..." 

Lydecker rolled his eyes again, "Hurry up!"

"Can you hot wire that thing?" Krit asked as Zane climbed inside.

Zane gave him a 'what do you think?' look before bending down to get to the wiring.

"Better hurry," Syl said as she moved back towards the entrance, "Sounds like they've found you guys missing..." Krit helped her push the massive metal doors closed, "That won't buy us much time, but it's better than nothing. 

Warren glanced nervously from Zane to the door as the sounds of soldiers outside became apparent, "Are you getting anywhere?"

"Almost done... There..." The engine roared to life,and Zane got into the driver's seat, "You guys staying here, or what?"

"Very funny..." Lydecker muttered as he got in. Logan, Krit, Syl and Warren took the remaining seats just as the doors burst open. The tires squealed against the concrete surface as Zane mashed the gas pedal to the floor. A rain of bullets peppered the jeep, but bounced harmlessly off the armor.

Roarche was standing in the door way shouting orders at the soldiers. He watched in frustration as the jeep sped out of the garage and off into the distance. Furious, he slapped his open hand against the nearby wall. It was unthinkable - impossible! 

"All right!" Krit was grinning ear to ear as he fought with the chains that held his wrists, "I can't believe you guys pulled that off."

"Hey, we PLANNED!" Zane said defensively.

"Besides, you'd be surprised how much damage a blown transformer will do," Syl spoke up from the back.

"I think getting out was the easy part," Logan murmured as he sorted through the equipment he had taken from the van, "Now we need to get back to Manticore... We'll be fighting a two front war now."

"Not really," Lydecker said, "Roarche isn't as interested in us as he is in Manticore. He and his crew might actually do us a favor."

"What do you mean...?" Warren asked uneasily.

"They'll be one hell of a distraction," he said simply.

"Before we discuss any more plans, maybe we should have a chat with our new recruit," Logan suggested, eyeing Warren.

"You in or out?" Syl leaned in towards her brother who seemed very uncomfortable at the moment.

"I... I don't know..."

"You'd better decide quick."

"Maybe you should tell me what the objective is first," Warren shot back.

"We get Max and Zack out."

"Syl..." Krit tried to keep his expression neutral.

Warren shook his head, "I already told you... Zack... is dead..."

"Maybe I don't believe you," Syl's eyes narrowed.

"What reason would I have to lie now?" Warren sighed, "He was my brother too."

"You're Manticore. You'd say anything they told you to," She hissed.

"Syl..." Krit said again. She shot him a savage look, but fell silent.

"You in or out?" Zane repeated Syl's initial question.

Warren fidgeted, "You're just going to get Max out... Right?"

Lydecker decided to take control of the situation, "Roarche and his crew are going to do a lot of damage, Warren. They want to raze the place. That means they won't be taking any prisoners. If you go back, you'll just be caught in the fire fight."

"I could warn them..." he proposed weakly.

"There isn't going to be enough time for them to prepare for that scale of assault," Lydecker snapped, his patients wearing thin, "It doesn't matter what Manticore does now. Roarche is going to hit that place like a tornado. The men he had at the base were only a small part of the force he's got to draw on."

"You think he'll go ahead with the plan even though we escaped?" Krit asked.

Lydecker nodded, "He has to now. Otherwise he risks letting Manticore pull out or call in reinforcements."

"Damn..." Zane muttered.

Warren rubbed his eyes, "All right... If it's the only way to save Maxie... I'll help... But... What about the others?"

"We can't really help them," Lydecker admitted, "They won't LET us help them."

Zane's grip on the steering wheel tightened, "We have to do something..."

"We should warn them," Warren insisted, "At least they'll have a some kind of a chance...."

"They won't believe us," Lydecker said.

"They won't just ignore us either," Logan pointed out

Lydecker seemed to sag, "All right... We'll warn Manticore... But not yet. If they seal up the base too tight, WE won't be able to get in either."

"Good... It's decided," Logan affirmed.

"Hey... Mind if we score something to eat soon...?" Zane asked, glancing at the others in the rear view mirror.

"What? Now?" Krit stared at his brother.

"Give me a break! I haven't eaten since yesterday... I'm starving..."

"I'm kinda hungry too..." Syl complained.

"Oh geez..." Warren rolled his eyes.

"Actually... I could stand some food too," Krit decided.

Lydecker sighed and settled back into his seat. //Par for the course...//

Logan merely shook his head and smiled, marveling at their ability to change their focus so completely. //Got to pick your battles, I suppose...// He turned his head to look at the scenery that was flying by. //Good advice... Maybe I should take it...//

  


*********** ************

A/N: Sorry if this was choppy or weird. I'm really trying to get this stuff out on paper... or not really paper... Anyway...

Next up: What's happening with Max back at Manticore? 

  


  


  



	12. White Knight/Black Queen

  


A/N: Well, had a bit of a change in plans... I had another chapter planned, but I'm going to skip it. It's not very relevant and was turning out to be pretty boring.... So... On with the finale!

  


************* *************

Chapter 12: White Knight/Black Queen

  


Manticore Base:

Outside Perimeter Fences

9:21 PM

  


Zane peered through the binoculars, watching the movement of the guards. Evidently their warning had been taken into consideration. Equipment was being rapidly deployed to protect the base. The troops who normally patrolled the perimeter had been withdrawn and were now stationed much closer to the compound, "We've got lots of activity down there..."

"Good," Lydecker, "We don't have much time before Roarche shows up with the big guns." Studying the floor plans, he pointed to a few rooms, "Mostly likely, they'll be keeping X5... Max somewhere in here... Krit and Syl can take sector C, while Warren and Zane take sector G..."

"What about me?" Logan asked. All eyes turned to stare at him, "I'm not going to be much use here. We don't have the computer equipment to hack into the system this time. Lydecker's going to be coordinating..."

Zane looked thoughtfully at the blue eyed man, "We might need you in there anyway... Since we can't hack the security from out here, we'll probably need to do it in there."

Syl nodded, "I can handle simple stuff, but Manticore's locks are a hell of a lot more sophisticated than what I'm used to."

"All right... You go with Zane and Warren," Lydecker eyed the latest addition to their group skeptically, "It's probably better that way. We don't need any surprises from our own people, now do we?" Warren stiffened, but remained silent, "I want this to be fast. No delays. Get in and out, understood?" Everyone nodded solemnly. 

"Looks like we've got company," Zane observed, swiveling the binoculars to take in the approaching vehicles, "Damn... That's a LOT of artillery..."

Lydecker made an affirmative noise, "Wouldn't expect anything less... Everyone clear on the mission? Good. Now, move out!"

  


************ *************

  


Sirens blared as stealthy shadows slipped onto the compounds grounds. Soldiers ran towards their posts and there was the distant sound of gun fire. Syl casually disabled the two guards near the entrance before signaling to the others that it was safe.

"Looks like it's locked up tight," she murmured.

"You weren't kidding when you said this stuff was sophisticated..." Logan studied the complex locking mechanism for the doors. Using a screwdriver, he tried to pry the cover off the panel, "Doesn't seem to want to..."

"Here..." with a quick jerk, Zane pulled the stubborn metal from it's place, "That should do it."

"Um... Thanks..." Logan shook his head and began tugging out some of the wires. He clipped a few with the wire cutter he had salvaged from the van and began to neatly recombine them with the other ends. A moment later, the doors shuddered and opened.

"Nice..." Krit gave him a thumbs up, "Let's move."

  


************** ****************

  


"Ma'am... We've engaged the enemy, but they're gaining ground..." Leaman stood at attention in front of the Director.

"Damn it! Who are these people?!" Renfro hissed, "Have you deployed the X7's?"

"Yes ma'am... But..."

"But what?!"

"They aren't doing as well as we'd hoped..."

She spun to face him, "What does that mean?!"

Leaman flinched, "They seem to have some... comparable technology, ma'am..."

Her eyes widened in surprise. This was obviously not what she expected to hear, "That's impossible..." Renfro stared at her desk for a moment, desperation beginning to crack her composure, "We'll use contingency plan 5-A..."

"Ma'am...?" Leaman gave her an incredulous look, "We'd have to abandon the base..."

"I know that!" She snapped, "We don't have any choice! If we're going to salvage anything, we have to move... NOW!"

  


******** ** ************

  


"State your position, Team one," Krit heard Lydecker's gruff voice in his ear.

"We're entering Sector B..." he responded softly. Syl cautiously looked around a corner and signaled for him to follow, "So far so good... We haven't encountered much resistance. Looks like they've concentrated their forces downside where Roarche is."

"Good..." Lydecker murmured, "Just don't let your guard down."

"Copy..." Krit said. Syl was moving ahead of him, her back against the smooth metallic wall of the corridor. The sector was nearly empty, which wasn't surprising. It was mostly used to house clerical offices and some storage rooms - hardly vital.

They paused when they reached the door to Sector C. Motioning with his chin, Krit indicated that Syl should take the opposite side of the doorway, "Ready, sis?"

"Aren't I always?" She shot him a predatory grin.

"Good..." He flung open the door and pressed forward.

  


*********** ************

"Team two, what's your status?"

"Uh... We've run into a problem," Zane fired at the black clad soldiers at the other end of the hall before ducking down behind the protective barrier made by a stack of steel crates, "A whole batch of unfriendlies..."

"Damn..." Lydecker scowled as he ran his finger over the map in front of him, "Can you use the access corridor instead?"

"Negative... They've got us pretty much pinned down here." Zane glanced at Warren and Logan, "We need to get these guys off our backs."

"Too bad we don't have any shrapnel grenades..." Warren groused.

"Wouldn't THAT be nice?" Zane cast him a disparaging glance, "Just think of all the dead bodies..."

"No need to be sarcastic," Warren scowled.

At that moment, something oblong and hard smacked against the ground between the three. It rolled to a stop when it bumped against Zane's boot. They stared for an instant before registering exactly what the item was - a grenade.

"Fuck! They're crazy!" Warren shouted as he and Zane dove into the room to the right. Logan threw himself into the connecting corridor to the left just as it exploded.

  


**************** ******************

  


  


"Have you gotten all the back-up systems loaded?" Renfro demanded.

"Yes, ma'am," a nervous technician replied.

"All of the data disks...?"

"Yes, ma'am..."

"Good," she paused for a moment to watch on the security monitors the heated battle raging outside. Manticore had better soldiers, but their enemies had numbers... and artillery. //Damn it...// "Tell the clearance 4 and 5 staff to evacuate the base.

"Yes, ma'am," Leaman saluted and spun smartly on his heel.

Brooding, Renfro stared at the screens that plastered one of the walls in her office. A good number of them were blank now, the cameras that feed them having been destroyed. //Looks like Lydecker managed to bring the war to us...// She savagely slapped her palm against the smooth wooden surface of her desk. //But this war's not over just yet...// Straightening, she allowed a cool smile to grace her sharp features. It'd be a cold day in hell before she let Lydecker walk off with the prize.

Turning slowly, she casually strolled out of her office.

  


************ **************

  


"Team two! Report!" Lydecker ordered.

"We're okay... Er... sort of..." Zane glanced around at the debris in the hallway. The grenade had caused a lot of damage but also had given them the opportunity to wipe out their attackers. It had taken some time, but the cover provided by the storage room had been perfect.

"We lost Cale..." Warren sighed.

Lydecker was silent for a moment, "Lost him?"

"Don't know where the hell he went..." Zane muttered as he speared his slender fingers through his hair, "No body, so he's not dead... At least not yet anyway..."

"Damn it..." Lydecker scowled.

"Have you been able to raise him on the comms?" Warren asked suggestively.

"No. But that doesn't mean much. He could be in one of the dead zones. We can't communicate in those." Lydecker ran his eyes across the map again, calculating the number of places Logan could be.

"Should we go search for him?" Zane asked.

"Negative. We don't have time to be hunting for someone else right now. Just stick to the plan." 

************* ***********

  


Logan peered around another corner before continuing on. The explosion of the grenade had made it easy for him to get away. Unfortunately, he was now separated from Warren and Zane... //Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...//

Cautiously, he pushed open one of a set of swinging doors, gun at the ready. //The infirmary...// Surprisingly, the room was empty. There were no wounded soldiers or doctors to be seen. Several tables had been overturned, which suggested that there had been a fight recently.

Logan relaxed a bit and went in to investigate. //There might be some useful equipment...// He moved to the center of the room and glanced around, feeling rather disappointed. There didn't seem to be much except surgical tools. He pushed a scalpel dejectedly with his foot. //Oh well... Time to move on.//

"Who are you?"

Logan spun and aimed the gun at where the voice had originated from. 

"Ah!" Dr. Wedler back pedaled, startled and obviously terrified, "Don't shoot!"

"Who are you...?" Logan looked the man up and down, taking in his white coat which was stained with blood while still keeping his weapon trained on him.

"I'm... I'm a doctor... Please don't kill me..." he begged. This had been the worst two weeks of his life. He'd been used as a hostage by the X5, yelled at by the director, and now shot at by soldiers.

"Don't worry... I'd really rather not have to kill people if I don't have to..."

Wedler didn't seem particularly convinced by his words, "What... what do you want...?"

//He could be useful...// "I'm looking for Max."

The doctor gave him a blank look, "Who?"

Logan sighed, "X5-452... Max. Do you know where she is?"

//Oh no...// "I... uh... I... might..."

"You... might? You're going to have to be more specific." 

"Um... She... She should be over in Sector D-2..." Wedler fidgeted nervously.

"Are you sure?" Logan's expression suggested that it might be a very good thing to BE sure.

"Yes! Yes!" he exclaimed, "I've been ordered to keep her under observation... medical... under medical observation," he stammered out.

"Great," Logan smiled dangerously, "Then you can take me to her."

//Oh dear...//

*************** *****************

  


Syl turned a body over with her foot, giving it a distasteful look, "This isn't getting us anywhere. We've searched the whole damn sector and haven't found a thing."

Krit stood up from where he had been inspecting another downed soldier, "These guys don't have any clearance passes, either..." He sighed and glanced around, "Now what...?"

"Should we try another sector?" Syl tapped the ear piece, "We're only getting static down here."

"No... Let's backtrack. Maybe we've missed something. At least we'll be able to communicate again."

************ ****************

"Damn it..." Warren muttered, "We haven't found ANYTHING!"

"She's not here," Zane said decisively.

Warren rolled his eyes, "How long did it take you to figure that out?"

"Shut up," Zane glowered, "We need to figure out where to go next."

"Well... we've gone through Sectors G and E... Krit and Syl would have been through B and C... Sector A is strictly for officers... And sector F... well... we don't need to go down there..."

"So what does that leave us?" 

"D. But it's a long way from here..." Warren frowned.

"Team two, you need to fall back," Lydecker's voice crackled in the ear pieces, "Roarche's men are heading down your way. It looks like they've cleared things out downside."

"Damn... We haven't found her yet. And we don't know where Logan is either!" Zane protested.

"No time. Cale can fend for himself."

"All right, all right..." Zane jogged back towards the way they had come, "Let's go..."

*************** ******************

  


Roarche smiled in satisfaction as he watched some of his troops drag a few more unconscious bodies to the truck. //No sense in wasting such advanced technology.// The X-series had put up a serious fight. Most of the ones that they had captured were still quite young - perhaps 11 or 12. It had made no difference in their fighting capabilities, however, and they had nearly turned the tide of the battle.

//Don wasn't kidding...//

He was quite certain that 'someone' had tipped Manticore off. They had already begun to establish a defense strategy by the time he and his men had arrived. If Manticore had any more time to prepare...

"Sir, we haven't been able to locate any of the command staff," a young soldier jogged towards him.

"I expected that... We've got what we wanted anyway."

"Yes, sir..."

  


************ ***************

  


"This is it... Down the corridor to the left..." Wedler said, his voice shaking.

Logan looked in the direction the doctor had indicated. The hallway was mostly dark, broken glass suggesting that someone had shot out the lights, "You should get going."

Wedler gaped in confusion, "W... What?"

"You should go," Logan smiled at him, "No sense in us both getting killed, now is there?"

"You... You're letting me go?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure," Logan shrugged, "You did what I asked you to do."

"Really?" Wedler could scarcely believe what he was hearing.

Logan heaved an irritated sigh, "Yes, really. Now go... before I change my mind!"

Wedler spun and dashed in the other direction, bolting around the corner and out of sight. 

//Hope he makes it...//

Logan cautiously slipped into the shadowy hall, moving towards the light that shone in the room near the end. He stopped just outside and drew a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for whatever would happen next. Grasping the knob, he turned it slowly. With a smooth motion, he pulled the door open and ducked inside.

  


//Max!// His breath caught in his throat. She stood facing him, several of Roarche's men lying at her feet. Her dark hair was pulled back from her face in a ponytail and she wore the same black uniform as the other Manticore soldiers, complete with body armor. Strangest of all was the fact that there was a gun in her hand - aimed at him.

"Max...?"

******************* ******************

  


A/N: Whee! How as that? I had a lot of fun writing that chapter... I kinda like bouncing between the groups... It means I don't have to describe every last thing that happens. :) Yeah, yeah, so I'm lazy. Hope you enjoyed it! I couldn't resist a tiny cliff hanger for the end there... The chapter was getting pretty long and I need some place to leave off, now didn't I? :) I'm sure you all can guess at some of what will happen next, so it's not as if there's a great deal of suspense... And I've got the next chapter nearly done, so if you REALLY want to read it, it'll be up soon. :)


	13. Check Mate

A/N: Still interested? Still awake? :) Hope so, 'cause here's the next installment!

  


  


  


************** *******************

  


Chapter 13: Check Mate

  


Manticore Base

  


  


"Max...?" Logan froze at the sight in front of him.

//Max... with a gun?// Somehow he couldn't quite make the two pieces of information form a coherent whole.

"Stay where you are," She ordered, her voice sounding oddly hollow.

"Max... It's me!" He took a step forward but was stopped by the cold look in her eyes. //Does she even know me?//

"I said don't move..."

"Max... It's me... Logan..."

Something flickered in her dark eyes, "Logan..." //Blue eyes...//

"Yes! You know me! I'm here to get you out, to take you home."

"I am home," the hollow voice responded. //Like hell I am!//

Logan swallowed. //This can't be good... but... I have to try...// "No... you're not, Max. You hate this place. You told me you'd rather die than come back here."

//He's right...// "Shut up," she hissed.

"I can't... Not now," Logan took a deep breath to steady his nerves and continued, "I thought... I thought you were dead... I thought I'd lost you..."

//Oh God... I've missed you...// "Shut up!" she shouted.

"When I found out you were alive, I promised myself I'd do anything - ANYTHING - to get you back..." Logan took a tentative step towards her, "If you're going to shoot me, then do it now... Without you, I've got nothing left to live for anyway."

The gun wavered, only slightly at first, then more and more.

_ \\Kill him\\ _

//I can't... Not him...//

_\\Duty, Discipline, Obedience\\_

//Beautiful... blue eyes...//

The weapon tumbled from her numb fingers, clattering against the finished concrete floor. She shuddered, trying to shake away the last of Manticore's hold on her.

"Max..." Logan breathed as he moved to her, gathering her into his arms.

She choked back a sob and hugged him fiercely, pressing her face against his shoulder, "Logan... Logan... I'm sorry..."

"For what?" he laughed, "Scaring the hell out of me? That's no big deal. It's not like you haven't done it before."

Max slowly drew back to look him in the eyes. She found herself smiling even through the tears that were still trickling down her face, "Yeah, I guess I have..."

Logan touched her face, wiping away the tears, "I'd really love to stay here for a while with you, but right now we really need to get out."

She nodded and pointed towards the door he had entered through, already slipping into combat mode, "This way..."

"I don't think so." Max and Logan spun around at the sound of a voice from behind them.

"I'm disappointed, Max," Brin said, her eyes hard. She stood in the doorway of the back exit to the room with a semi-automatic aimed at her sister's head, "I thought you were stronger than this."

"I AM stronger," Max growled, instinctively dropping into a fighting stance.

"Why couldn't you just be happy here? You're with your family now," Brin nearly pleaded with her.

"This isn't my home anymore, Brin. And this isn't my family..." Max's voice was soft. She desperately wanted to make her sister understand, to undo the damage done by Manticore.

"That's really too bad... You know I have to do this."

"No!" Logan stepped in front of Max when he saw Brin's finger tensing on the trigger. There was no real thought behind the action, only emotion. He couldn't take the chance. He couldn't loose her again...

In that instant, several trains of thought run through Brin's agile mind. One said that she should just shoot the man. He was an enemy. Another found it ridiculous, even comical, that an ordinary person would try to defend an X5. It was like asking a piece of glass to protect steel. The next thought was why he would do such a thing. What was in it for him?

Her highly trained reflexes, of course, told her that indecision was one of a soldier's worst enemies - and pulled the trigger.

Logan staggered backwards, falling into Max's arms. He went down with a choked sound accompanying Max's anguished cry.

"Logan! NO!" She kneeled, cradling him in her arms. //You can't leave me too! You can't leave me...// Fear swallowed her whole, driving away any sane or rational thought she might have had at that moment.

"Owe..." he replied. It had been a favorite word of late, though he was certainly tiring of it.

Astonished and a bit disconcerted, Max felt his chest where the bullet had struck. //A flak jacket...// "Damn it! Don't scare me like that!" The relief she felt was almost a physical thing.

Brin stared at them, her brain having rapidly overtaken her reflexes. //Why? Why would he do that? What was that look in his eyes? Why was Max so upset? She looked... afraid...//

Max held him protectively, one arm about his shoulders, the other resting on his chest. She glared at her sister, daring her to do anything more. Logan struggled to sit up, watching Brin intently. He could see the conflict washing over on to her strong features. //Maybe she's having second thoughts...//

Brin locked eyes with her sibling, her doubts communicated through her gaze. //Why? I could have shot him in the head... He didn't know that he wouldn't die...// She couldn't seem to say the words, ask the questions that threatened the Manticore dogma. Max simply watched her with a determined stare.

The sound of voices in the hall attracted the trio's attention. Without thinking, Brin moved to the door and into the hall, shutting the door behind her.

"Ma'am! We heard a shot fired. Are you all right?"

There was a short pause and Max found herself holding her breath in anticipation. "False alarm. It's nothing. Let's go... We've been ordered to evacuate," came Brin's cool reply. The heavy footsteps hurried away, leaving Max and Logan in silence.

"We need to go..." Logan pointed out after a minute, "We've got people waiting on us." Max helped him to his feet and the two hastily exited.

"Cale! Are you there? Do you read me?" Lydecker barked in his ear as they passed through the edges of the communcations dead zone.

"I've got, Max. We're on our way out," Logan responded, "Tell the others to go."

Lydecker felt a brief sense of relief. At least something was working out, "Copy that."

Max took the lead, rapidly moving down the corridor. She paused at the intersection, waiting for a group of soldiers to jog by. Her senses were on full alert, listening for the sounds that would warn her of any other enemies.

After passing through two sector checkpoints, Max glanced at Logan, "Just one more..." He nodded silently, weapon at the ready.

"Hey! You!" A Manticore officer spotted Max as she was ducking around a corner, "Where're you going?"

She squeezed her eyes shut, frustrated. //Maybe I can make him go away...// Spinning around, she saluted smartly, "Sir!"

"What are you doing down here? We're supposed to evacuate this sector..." The man frowned, "What's your current assignment... Who're you?" He looked past Max at Logan who was backed up against the wall.

//Damn it...// "So much for my acting career," Max quipped as she slugged the officer. He staggered backwards, but managed to keep his balance. The man fumbled with his gun, giving Max ample time to land a side-kick to his head. He dropped like a stone, groaning in pain,"Nighty-night..."

"The exit is just down here," Logan pointed towards the end of the hall. He paused when they had reached the enormous metal doors. "Let's go," Logan said after checking that the way was clear to the entrance. Sprinting into the outdoors, the duo ran up the short him at the back of the compound. 

//So far so good...//

A grinding noise made Logan falter. It wasn't the first time he'd heard it... He felt his left knee seize up, sending him to the ground. //Nononononono.... This isn't happening... Not now!// The mechanism twitched and jerked as Logan frantically tried to correct the problem, "Damn it!" he hissed.

"Logan!" Max knelt down next to him, concern clouding her face.

"Go on... I'll be right behind you," came the strained reply.

"No. I'm not leaving you here." Logan opened his mouth to argue, but Max's expression told him he had no chance of changing her mind.

The sound of dried leaves crunching and the rustling of leaves caused them both to tense. Max's hands closed into fists, ready to fight who ever was approaching, watching the direction the noise had come from expectantly.

Warren burst out of the undergrowth and staggered to a halt, "What the hell are you doing here?!" He was starting to get winded and drew in several deep breaths to counteract the effects.

"Oh, just thought I'd take in the scenery while I was here," Logan bit back sarcastically, "You know... do some bird watching, play in the leaves..."

"Technically difficulties," Max broke in pointedly as she tried to get Logan back to his feet.

"Shit... Like we need any more trouble..." Warren hesitated, debating their options before moving forward and easily slinging Logan over his shoulder, "We need to haul some ass, guys. Roarche's men are right on my tail." Logan scowled, disliking the undignified position, but knowing its necessity. 

"Warren, Cale! State your position," Lydecker ordered.

"We've had a bit of trouble... But we're on our way..." Warren informed him.

"Where's Zane?" Logan asked suddenly, fearing the worst.

Warren grimaced as he navigated through the trees, "We got separated. Ran into a squad of Roarche's people. We had to split up to get away from them... I'm not sure where he is..."

"Krit and Syl are all ready here," Lydecker told them, "I can't seem to raise Zane...'

Warren and Max crested the hill and paused to scan the surroundings. "Zane's not responding? Damn it..." Logan muttered, "Where could..." His words were cut short by a massive rumbling. The ground vibrated as something big maneuver towards them. 

Warren spun towards the direction of the sound and gaped, "A tank!? They've got a goddamned TANK?!" 

The offending piece of artillery ground to a halt just in front of them and the hatch on top popped open, "You comin' or goin'?" Zane asked with a wild grin.

"Holy... Are you fucking crazy?!" Warren shouted, already convinced of the answer. 

"No. I'm fucking pissed. And now I'm armed. Stop asking stupid questions and get up here!" Zane insisted. Max ignored them both and began to climb up. Warren shook his head, disgusted, and handed Logan up to Zane and Max before clambering up the side himself.

"Where the hell did you get this thing?" Logan asked in awe as he was lowered inside. 

"From our not so friendly friends," Zane moved back to the controls as Warren closed the hatch behind him, "They weren't really using it, so I thought I'd just take this baby for a spin."

"Since when do you know how to drive one of these?" Max demanded, though she was smiling.

"You'd be surprised what I know, little sister. Now is this going to be a game of twenty questions or can one of you guys man the machine gun?

"What's going on out there? What's your status?!" Lydecker sound agitated. He hated being stranded during an operation. He hated not being fully informed even more.

"Uh... We're good. We found some... alternative transportation... and Zane," Logan found himself grinning, "I suggest you guys peel on out. We'll be right behind you... with bells on."

"Right..." Lydecker grumbled as he cranked the ignition for the jeep. He expertly spun the wheel with his good hand and roared off towards the road just as several soldiers spotted them. Their bullets bounced off without causing any damage, and Lydecker silently thanked the man who had invented bullet proof vehicular armor.

Krit grinned as he watched the compound disappear behind them, "Looks like we won't be worrying about them for a while."

"Don't underestimate them," Lydecker murmured, staring at the road ahead.

Syl glanced at him curiously, "The place was trashed... Do you think the command staff made it out?"

Lydecker nodded, his features hard, "They had an advanced enough warning to pull themselves out. Manticore's always been big on contingency planning..."

"You mean YOU'VE always been big on it," Krit corrected and received only stony silence as a reply.

"Damn! We did it!" Zane exclaimed. He cast a glance back at Max who was leaning exhaustedly against Logan, "You know, you're a tough girl to track down."

"A girl likes her privacy," she said with a crooked smile, "Besides, it's been done before..." Max idly patted Logan's shoulder, and he smiled down at her.

"So... What happens now...?" Warren asked.

Zane's exuberance seemed to fade in the face of reality, "We'll probably have to split up again..."

"Why?" Max sat up suddenly, "Manticore's as good as gone! Why do we have to run now?"

Zane sighed, "You know they won't let go... If there's any of them left..."

"No! We fought for this... Zack DIED for this!" Max said adamantly. The mention of their deceased sibling destroyed what was left of their triumphant mood. Even after so much struggle, so much sacrifice, they still weren't free.

"We'll have to wait... To see what happens," Logan said slowly, "We don't know who survived this. Manticore might get shut down after all that's happened... or it might just get absorbed into another project... They don't have enough pull to keep themselves afloat on their own..."

"It'll still take them a while to reorganize themselves... We'll have some time to relax," Warren said helpfully.

"Yeah... Well, we could use some downtime," Zane muttered.

"What're you going to do with this thing, anyway?" Logan asked, more to break the gloom than out of curiosity, "It'd be hard to find a parking space for a tank."

Zane let out a snort of laughter, "Yeah, I suppose so..."

"It'd make one hell of a lawn ornament," Logan decided. He was rewarded with a chuckle from Warren and a grin from Zane. "Say... what kind of milage do you think one of these gets...?" Max rolled her eyes and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

*************** ********************

  


Philip Roarche watched the tank rolling over the perimeter fence through a pair of binoculars. A hail of bullets from the machine gun drove away those who were foolish enough to try to stop it. The scene was a rather bizarre parody of the cliché western ending... The hero riding off into the sunset on his trusty steed... Only this was a sunrise... and a tank.

He had no doubt who had stolen it, and he wasn't happy, "Donald... You slippery son of a bitch... One of these days your luck is going to bail on you..." 

Idly tossing the binoculars into the humvee, Roarche turned to look back and the compound. There were a few minor buildings that were burning as the result of some incendiary grenades. A few squads of soldiers had been assigned to sort through the wreckage to see if there was anything of use, but he doubted there would be. Manticore had wiped its database clean before abandoning the base. //Always thorough...//

After casting a final glance at the direction the tank had vanished in, Roarche pulled himself into the passenger's seat of the hummer. Without even looking at the driver, he gestured forward, "We've got what we came for... Let's get the hell out of here."

************** ******************

  


A/N: So what do you think? Was it okay? Help me out here. It's hard to read minds over the internet. :) There's ONE more chapter after this one, though, just to wrap things up a bit.

Oh yeah... For anyone who doesn't know, a flak jacket is a bullet proof vest. Just thought I'd point that out... :) 

And a tid-bit for all the Zack fans: Looks like William Gregory Lee (the actor who plays him) is on the cast list for season two! Maybe he's not so dead after all? :)


	14. Epilogue

  


A/N: Whoo hoo! I made it to the end! Last chapter, guys!

By the way: Philip Roarche, Nathan Wedler, Geb, Jared, Warren, Moris, Dr. Carlis, and Sgt. Leaman are all mine. Sort of... I made them up anyway. :) Max, Logan, Lydecker, and all the other characters from the show don't belong to me (obviously). Just thought I'd point that out one LAST time... in case someone thinks it'd be fun to sue me...

  


************ ************

Chapter 14: Epilogue

  


  


40 Miles from Manticore Base

  


  


"What the hell are we going to do with this thing?" Warren asked as he climbed out of the tank, "I mean, it's not like we can HIDE it somewhere..."

Zane patted the turret affectionately, "I dunno... It might be fun to have around... I think we should name it!"

"You are completely and truly cracked, brother," Krit shook his head, grinning.

Zane sniffed indignantly, "At least I still have ONE friend..." He pretended to hug the massive piece of hardware, sniffling.

Lydecker covered his eyes with his left hand. //Good lord...//

Syl patted Zane on the shoulder, "Awe... I still love ya, bro."

"Yeah, but you only love me for my big gun!"

Krit started laughing, "You have SO lost it!"

"Have not!"

"Oh, don't start that..." Max groaned.

"We DO have issue to discuss," Lydecker said, his voice demanding their attention.

"Like what happens now?" Logan put in.

"Exactly," Lydecker paced in front of the group, "We won't know how things are going to land for a while... It's best if we all split up and find somewhere to hole up for the time being."

"But... How do we keep in touch...?" Zane hated to bring up the question. It only reminded them that their 'big brother' Zack had always taken care of these problems.

"I... might be able to help you there..." Logan drummed his fingertips on the armor of the tank, "The informant net has always allowed me to stay in contact with my informants. I should be able to set up something similar for you."

"How long would that take?" Lydecker asked, intrigued.

"Not long at all. The basic infrastructure is already established... Maybe a day or two..."

"Hmm..."

"You really think that'd work?" Krit asked.

"I don't see why not," Logan smiled at him reassuringly, "It should help if you have a stable central connection point. I can also help you find somewhere to go, if you need..."

Max stared at the ground, "Do we really have to split up again?"

"Yes. It's too dangerous for everyone to be together. Especially when we don't know exactly what's going to happen to Manticore," Lydecker said. 

It struck Max as being strange how they all listened to him, like he was some tribal elder or the patriarch of the family. The thought of calling Lydecker 'dad,' though, made her skin crawl. It was funny how he always referred to them as 'his kids' and never expected them to think of him as a father figure. He was their commander, their creator, but never their family, "But maybe later..."

"Later is later," Lydecker cut her off, "We can't be too preoccupied worrying about the future when the present is still up in the air." Max scowled at him but didn't protest.

"So... the immediate plan is...?" Warren started.

"We should go back to Seattle," Logan suggested, "I get set things up and put you guys in a safe house for a few days. It might be better than everyone running off right away."

"What about you?" Krit looked pointedly at Warren.

"What...?" Warren looked confused, wondering why he was being singled out.

"Are you still with us? Or are you going to go crawl back to Manticore?" Krit watched in intently.

"I... uh..." Warren stuttered, something he never did, "I... there... really isn't any Manticore to go back to..." He shook his head, "Besides, I don't think they'd exactly welcome me back after all this..."

"You'd be surprised," Lydecker said quietly.

"No... I... don't think I can go back..." Warren found the words more difficult to say that he had ever imagined, "I know too much... They'd want to know it to."

Lydecker fiddled with the sling that held his right arm, "Then it's decided. We'd better get moving. Roarche might just decide to coming looking for us."

"But what about Burtrum?" Zane nearly wailed, "We can't just leave him here..." He hugged the tank's turret again.

"Burtrum...?" Krit raised an eyebrow, "You really are nuts..."

Lydecker sucked in a breath and forced himself to count to ten. For all their genetically enhanced abilities and military training, they still acted like children.

Logan rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh... You know it's out of gas, right?"

Zane sat up and frowned, "It is?"

"Yeah... and do you know how much it takes to fill a fuel tank that size?" Logan couldn't suppress his smile. 

Zane looked thoughtful, calculating in his head. 

"And do you know much all that gas would cost?"

"Crap!" Zane looked horrified, "Never mind... I think I can find another toy later... one that won't bleed me dry..."

***************** *********************

  


Logan's Penthouse

Seattle, WA

  


  


Logan contentedly stretched his arms above his head. It'd been a long day, but he'd set up the contact system for the X5's. So far, it was jokingly being referred to as the 'Manticore hotline.' Lydecker hadn't thought it was very amusing. //His lose.//

A satisfied smile worked its way on to his face. Yeah, it'd been a lot of work, but it'd be worth it. Now they could communicate much more easily. Lydecker, as expected, had expressed concerns over how secure the system would be. There was always the potential for someone to either betray them or have the information tortured out of them. Logan had easily assuaged his worries, though. Experiences with the informant net had taught him how to allow people to exchange information without putting each other in danger. //Good ol' Eyes Only to the rescue.//

Max had spent the day with her siblings at the safe house, desperate to get to know them again before they had to leave. Cindy had spent some time berating Max for making her worry before caving in and giving her a hug. It seemed that Normal and his crew were actually very worried about her. Normal had even tried to get Cindy to tell him what hospital Max was supposedly. It was odd how things seemed to just settle back to the status quo.

//But it's not the same... is it...?// Logan sighed. Max had been rather distant since they had returned to Seattle. It was obvious she was still dealing with the loss of yet another brother. And not just ANY brother... Big brother Zack... All of the X5's felt uneasy about the future now. They were used to knowing that Zack would be there to take care of things, to tell them what to do. Now they were on their own...

Logan had done his best to help, but he could tell it wasn't the same for them. He wasn't family. He didn't understand. Or rather, COULDN'T understand. It didn't bother him... much. He was used to people being distant. Especially those who had been through a major tragedy or who were being pursued. Constant fear didn't do much for a person's social abilities. It wasn't easy to put your life in the hands of a stranger.

There were still a lot of emotions Logan hadn't managed to work through just yet, but he could deal with them later. Just having Max back in his life was enough for now. He'd been reluctant to let her leave the apartment that morning. After being away for so long, it was hard to let go, if even just a little. She had crashed in his guest room the night before, too tired to resist Logan's persuasion. He had worried when she conked out for almost 12 hours. Max never slept that long. //She probably needed it.//

Logan knew that things weren't really over yet, but the crisis had been resolved for the present. He had promised to keep an eye on Manticore's dealings for a while and to make sure Lydecker was informed. So far, there had only been some small pieces that had floated to the surface. It seemed that there was a great deal of infighting and politicking going on as vacuums formed. A lot of people who had once held high level positions were being 'demoted' or even terminated. All the power hungry vultures were scrabbling to get the best bits of the carcass. //Typical.//

At the moment, though, it meant they were distracted. The X5's and Lydecker would be safe until the dust settled. By then they should all be long gone. 

Logan smiled. It was nice to be on top of things. He much preferred being in front of his computer to prowling around in the dark with a loaded weapon. It was good to be in control again.

************ **************

Outskirts of Seattle

  


  


"Jack..." 

"Eva..." 

"Ben..."

"Tinga..."

"Zack..."

Zane carefully finished carving Zack's name below the others. He looked up over his shoulder at his siblings from where he was crouched next to the enormous tree, "This thing's getting too crowded..."

"Yeah..." Krit stared morosely at the names. They all hope they wouldn't ever gather here again. It had been Syl's idea to make some kind of gesture to their lost siblings. She felt it would give them something more concrete, something to pour their lose into. Maybe she was right... Krit did feel slightly better.

"We won't forget," Syl murmured.

"No... How could we?" Zane brushed the dirt off his jeans as he stood, "Even if we tried. They're family..."

"At least we have have something to point to, though," Warren said, "I don't mean it as a joke... but, this is our family tree."

Syl managed a smile, "Yeah... It's all ours, isn't it?" It felt nice to have done something to remember her brothers and sisters. It was also something that she could return to later.

"Hey, we'll come back... Maybe every year," Max finally spoke, "We can talk... remember... Tell some stories..."

"You know... I think that'd be kinda cool..." Zane smiled, brightening, "It'd be a family reunion... Something to look forward to, you know?"

"Yeah..." Krit tipped his head, "We need to find Jondy now... Tell her what happened... And all about this place."

"Logan thinks he's found some info on her," Max offered, "He'll be able to track her down."

"It feels a little weird... But nice to have someone else we can trust now. If he can do everything he said he could, it'll be a lot easier to pass things along to each other," Warren smiled.

"Logan's a good guy... He'll make sure things are okay," Max said confidently. She had faith in him. He wouldn't let them down... He was family too...

The X5's lapsed into a comfortable silence, all of them gazing at the tree that would house their memories. 

After several minutes had passed, Zane sighed, "We should head back..."

"Right..." Syl reluctantly agreed, slowly turning to head back to the car.

Krit paused and glanced back, "Max? You coming?"

"I'll be there in a minute," she called back. Kneeling down, she ran her hands over the letters that formed Zack's name. It was hard to say good-bye. But then again, she really didn't have to. As morbid as the thought was, a part of him would live on... in her. The stab of guilt she felt whenever she thought of him passed on quicker now. Maybe she'd be able to think of him freely someday. It'd take some time...

She smiled faintly as she rose, gazing for a moment more at the memorial, "See ya around... Zack..." Turning her back to the tree, Max moved to rejoin her siblings.

************** *******************

  


************** ***************

A/N: Ah! I made it! It's the end! Of course, I couldn't just wrap it all up TOO neatly now could I? What happens if I get bored? I'd need something for a sequel then... :) Otherwise, you can speculate to your hearts content. If there's anyone who liked this so much they want to borrow some of my ideas, I don't really mind. Actually I'd be flattered!... Just give me a little credit, huh? :)

I'm intending to go back over all the chapters and revise them later. There won't be any huge changes (at least I don't think there will). Just some tweaking. 

Oh yeah, and if I missed any X5's who have died, please, please tell me so I can put them in! :)

Thanks for all the fabulous reviews! You guys have been really great! I never really expected such a terrific response, but I really, REALLY appreciate it! Everybody's been so nice! What a great group! * sniff* I love ya, guys. :)

  



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